A Different Kind Of Love Story
by MidnightSakuraBlossom and SYD
Summary: Sequel to Let Me Buy You A Drink. After the events of what happened with their drunken experiences, Vash goes into a run down city after hearing of it's state. Meryl and Milly follow after, the former hoping to finally conclude how they feel about each other. Things happen and trouble brews when a few other faces familiar and new come in. DISCONTINUED
1. The Arrival

A/N: A little bit delayed by unfortunate circumstances, but I've finally planned everything out and posted the sequel to my first Trigun fic, 'Let Me Buy You A Drink'! Sorry about that wait. I hope that this will be a good enough sequel, because I had way too many ideas about how exactly to establish it from how the other ended. Oh, and you'll probably have to read that one, to fully understand this story's plot and all. And how this all has come to be.

In case you haven't figured this out, it's a VashxMeryl fic of course. Hmm...there might be other mild hints and mentions of other pairings, maybe. IDK. Anyway, the plot of this sequel is all about Vash and Meryl trying to find out what their true feelings for the other person are, and the craziness that follows afterward. There will be a lot of other stuff on the side as well. Milly and the green-haired guy (who's story will be revealed, including his name. I'm also hoping he won't be as exaggeratedly depressed/emo like the original story) get themselves involved, in an attempt to move things along and provide much-needed "friendly love-advice". ^^

I really don't know what timeline this takes place in per se. Uh, it's definitely still within the canon universe and all, as well as slight remarks to canon events at times. Don't ask questions about this, just sit back and enjoy the story.

"Ember Walls", the name of the town that's a majorly-involved town for a while, is completely made up. I didn't feel like putting everyone in one of the existing towns on the planet, I wanted to be a little bit more imaginative/creative. Did I fail or win? Anyway, this "town" will have a backstory behind it as well. So don't panic.

I don't know how many chapters this story will have in the end. The length of them will vary, as will the updating SCHEDULE. I can't promise how long the length of either will be. Oh, and please excuse the OOC moments, plot/character information that could be mixed up, and the rushed feel.

Sorry for the OVERLY-LONE note. *Nods* Enjoy the story, my readers.

Disclaimer: If I owned Trigun, it would be a much longer series than what it was. Obviously, I don't own it of course. :(

**[.]**

**A Different Kind Of Love Story**

**Chapter 1: The Arrival**

**[.]**

_Dear Meryl,_

_Sorry 'bout the sudden message. I'm currently writing this while walking along the town and admiring the scenery, so excuse the crinkled edges and all._

_I want to tell you that I...well, I feel kind of bad guilty about the whole date-thing last night. I know you needed to unwind a little, that's basically the whole reason why I decided to buy you some drinks. The embarrassing thing is...I had no money to begin with. Anyway! Things just got way too out of hand. But I'm like living trouble, aren't I?_

_Even though things were tense, awkward, and generally out of hand, I have to admit that I had a good time. I wish...ah...I kind of wish that we could have spent some more time together. Uh...this isn't sounding too forward is it? I mean, being around you without all the usual arguments and peril, it felt nice. :')_

_I should have probably told you this earlier, but I'm the one that brought you back to the inn. I then had to leave because the bartender, he was very determined to turn me in and collect the bounty. So I had to leave town fast in the night. By the time you read this...I'm very faraway._

_But since I'm a good sport, I'll tell you where I'm heading. I'm going to that distant town; Ember Walls. The one that's kind of small like this, but not too rustic? It's not as well known anymore because a big war had taken place about ten years ago, it's just now being recovered and back up and running._

_I have a good feeling that I'll be meeting you and Milly there. When I do see you...there's something I need to try and resolve with you. Something...er...important that I won't be able to on my own._

_Catch me if you can! Love and peace! ;P_

_-Vash The Stampede_

Meryl Stryfe couldn't hide her small smile as she read over that crumbled message a third time since receiving it. The passage of time had gone by fast, and it's already been two weeks since the incident, but Meryl easily could remember what all had happened that night. Vash barging into her and Milly's shared inn room, him and her friend claiming that she had indirectly asked the infamous outlaw out on a date, enduring the embarrassment of having multiple people assume they were lovers, and pretending to be unconscious when she was brought back to the inn room; only to be stunned when Vash took Milly's advice and gave her a goodnight kiss.

But especially the kiss. And when her thoughts wandered over to that one, simple kiss, her face would heat up quite suddenly and she could faintly feel a tingling sensation in her lips. Of course, Meryl did not tell Milly about this. She barely even believed that she was still swooning over a very impulsive kiss that...that probably wouldn't have ever happened and shouldn't. She was still _trying_ to convince herself that she was only still affected by it because it had been a little while since she had been kissed so meaningfully. It caught her off guard, that's it.

...Yeah...there's _no___deeper meaning, right?

Meryl knew, at the moment, that her and Milly would be arriving at Ember Walls not too long from now. Once settled in and unpacked, they would either take a stroll to learn about it's layout, or go ahead and scout the area for Vash the Stampede, whom Meryl had a lot to discuss with. The thought of encountering that man again, it was exciting her. Why? She had no clue. She hadn't ever been so excited to see him again before...not in the slightest.

Come to think of it, there had to a deep reason behind this. When you consider the fact that the feisty woman couldn't seem to let go of this meaningless message that Vash had written to her in a fairly obvious hurry while on the run.

'_Try not to get yourself into TOO MUCH trouble before we arrive, Vash. There's no way that we will be able to settle things between us for good if you start up trouble once again and get me and Milly mixed up in it._' Meryl shifted her eyes back and forth, seemingly just staring at the desert scenery surrounding her, before she hastily folded this note back and slipped it in her bag. '_And...maybe I can properly thank you for that date. Wait...what am I thinking? He'll get the wrong idea if I say that, knowing him..._'

Meryl's coworker and close friend, Milly Thompson, was walking right alongside her and completely being oblivious to the fact that she was in deep thought at the moment. She was enjoying the walk, she actually really enjoyed all the traveling because visiting other places was fascinating. Even during the usual, typical chaos they got into with Vash, finding out a lot about various cities and towns and their history was very cool.

She even put up with the burning suns overhead in the sky. They were forced to have to walk through the desert terrain and rough roads on foot because their previous jeep had gotten stolen by bandits previously.

The hot air and bright sun caused Milly to have to squint and wipe perspiration from her brow. How long had they been wandering through here again? Hours? God knows... "Meryl, do you think we're close to the city yet?" She got no response. "...Meryl...? Are you listening?"

'_Why am I in such a rush to see Vash again? It CAN'T possibly be because I want to see him, right? Well, sigh, I don't know. But I will not allow Milly to continue to hint that it's because I love him or anything. No way._' Meryl's cheeks reddened and she glanced at the sandy ground under her feet. '_It isn't because of any deeper feelings..._'

"MERYL!"

Meryl gasped from the sudden yell and was abruptly pulled from her thoughts. She was kind of glad though, they were wandering way too much with a flood of various emotions. She gave Milly a surprised look, and the other girl laughed nervously and rubbed the back of her head.

"Sorry about that. You just seem a little..._unfocused_ on traveling." Milly noted, walking a little closer and peering at Meryl's distant look in her eyes. "And your cheeks are very flushed! It's not a good idea to stay out in intense heat too long, maybe we should stop at a traveler's inn and rest?"

Meryl shook her head and continued walking on, Milly quickly caught up with her though and they went on at a remarkably faster face than before. "I'm fine, really. I just have a lot of stuff on my mind at the moment, but I can still travel a little bit longer."

"But-"

"Thanks for being concerned though."

Her lips turning from a simple line to an instant concerned frown, Milly shifted the weight of the suitcase, she continued walking a little faster to match Meryl's pace.

"...Well let me try to come up with some idea about what you might be thinking about." Milly suggested, now smiling. "If I have thought about this enough, I'd have to say that you're thinking about _Vash_ once again. Right?"

"N-no, it isn't about Vash at all..." Meryl quickly replied, her tone was noticeably raised a pitch as she said that. Which only amused Milly, who wasn't oblivious when it came to certain feelings that Meryl obviously must have for their infamous outlaw. The shorter woman gave her an annoyed look when she heard some chuckling. "Milly, it's true! Do we have to go through this again? I _do not _have any feelings whatsoever for him. And the only reason why I'm still here is strictly because of our duty to make sure he doesn't do anything drastic and destructive to any other cities or towns. Case closed."

"But you're even more determined to catch up him than ever, Meryl."

"It might be due to the fact that I just love my job. Have you considered that?"

Milly rolled her eyes in an annoyed fashion. Every time she was getting close to proving a true point, Meryl would still use a comeback to try and get out of the conversation. Eventually both insurance girls realized that they had completely stopped walking and were standing in the middle of the sandy streets talking. Common sense returned to them both and they quickly stepped to the sides to make sure no kind machinery was riding by.

And so, they continued their journey to the set destination, Ember Walls. Much to her discomfort and slight embarrassment, Vash the Stampede was invading Meryl's mind every other minute. And not to mention that Milly was still repeatedly dropping some hints about this whole situation. Urgh, it was frustrating for her to say the least.

But what neither of the two girls knew was this; they were very close to entering the city. And during this stay, many things would occur. Things that would not only be perilous, insane, and kind of random, but also filled with a good amount of romantic tension and a chance to meet up with some familiar faces. This is where our tale of this crazy and different love story between infamous outlaw and insurance worker begins officially.

A good distance away from Meryl and Milly, sitting on the worn streets from where they previously were, was a small cat. It had complete black fur and big green eyes. It sat there and licked it's paw calmly before gazing at the horizon and rolling it's eyes.

**[.]**

Gunsmoke is a complete desert planet. Kinda empty and barren with simple ways of living. It's known that there's a whole lot of empty, sandy terrain, but there are bigger cities and towns located within them. People go through their lives rather simply, and of course they don't even seem to notice that they have no true water supply and how they'll survive much longer. It also orbits two suns, and having at least five moons as well. Beings known only as _Plants_, provide everyone with the needed necessities of life. But the it is not as peaceful as you might assume. Because a lot of rough gangs of outlaws, thugs, and flat-out-born-to-cause-trouble bad guys roam the landscapes, constantly being sought after by the temporarily un-named bounty hunters and sheriffs. Yes, yes, this planet has quite the amount of excitement and chaos, doesn't it?

After that rather detailed description, it's time we all move forward in time to the place in which our crazy and different love story between Humanoid Typhoon and ordinary girl take place. The city of: Ember Walls. A barely-known city that is big in layout and structure, but has fallen upon tough times due to a very terrible battle that had taken place at least ten years ago. It's reputation isn't good because of the poor economy, thugs beginning to overrun it, lack of people living there, and how a lot of outlaws stroll through for shelter from the bounty hunters and sheriffs hot on their trail.

Ember Walls, named for it's giant ember-colored gates and large, crafted stone walls that conceal it nicely. It is a primary place of this story, a setting if you will, surrounding our soon-to-be main couple. Of course, things seem lonely and calm within the town, it never stays that way too long. Let's go to the time when things all went down, 1:18 PM...

"Wow! What impressive walls!" Milly commented in awe whilst soaking in the gorgeous site of the magnificent walls that concealed the city. It was no wonder why it was named 'Ember Walls'.

This city got it's name rather easily alright. These crafted walls made from a certain stone that was a firey orange color. When the sunlight beamed down over it, it gave it a nice glow as well almost as if reflecting glass.

"It sure is! I didn't think it would like this nice in person..." Meryl remarked. She then suddenly snapped a finger. "But wait, I thought I read somewhere that the walls concealing the city were destroyed in the battle?"

Milly shook her head in a disagreeing manner. "No, that didn't happen. Must've just been a tabloid or something like that. You know how they are."

Meryl went along with that implication. Because it must have been a false tabloid, seeing that the walls were still up and protecting the town from many dangers outside. Yet, she could only imagine what the inside of the place looked like. It could be very isolated or ruined for all she knew. And how would she be able to keep Vash out of trouble if he were to do something crazy? It would be hard to without being distracted by the lack of scenery. But Meryl shook her head and cleared these thoughts.

It wouldn't be bad. And maybe things wouldn't be too crazy this time around. If this town was already in bad shape, that meant that Vash couldn't really cause _too much_ destruction. And that meant less work her her. Yay! No overly-huge reports to be written!

Milly slipped a piece of paper from out of her suitcase and started reading over it. It told of the city's history and backstory, and it was fresh from the typewriter as well. "Ember Walls," The taller girl began knowingly whilst reading. "Has been rebuilt and populated somewhat in the past few years, Meryl. It doesn't have good security because one of the sheriff's had passed away because of a deadly illness. That's why various outlaws with bounty on their heads flock here to hide out. And...ooh! There's also a sandsteamer service that runs through here and to other cities and towns; and this about the time of year that they come to drop off travelers, supplies, and everything. There might be, you know, a lot of excitement and crowds over that."

Meryl sighed and ran her fingers through her dark, thin, raven bangs that were falling to her forehead. This was the time of year that travelers would be coming and so would the supplies and stuff. Her and Milly would be lucky to get themselves a good room at a good hotel. If only Vash had sooner decided his next destination on the map, they could have set out much quicker.

And why the hell was she letting her thoughts drift over to Vash again? Ugh. It was awful because she couldn't stay focused on anything too long. She just needed to calm herself and realize that nothing has happened between them, and nothing will happen ever. They only went on just one date. And really, that was only because she had _indirectly_ invited him. And after realizing how Vash was truly hoping for a 'yes', and that he seemingly was thrilled about this, she couldn't back out.

"Come on, let's enter and find a hotel to put our stuff away at. Then, we'll scout for Vash."

Milly stuffed away the paper and then smirked. "I'm right behind you. ...Hey, can we see if they have any pudding shops before we look for a hotel?"

"Oh Milly..."

**[.]**

For about twenty minutes, Meryl and Milly wandered through the city. It wasn't that finding a hotel was hard or anything, it was mainly because they were being slow to admire the new scenery and try to mentally remember where every building and shop was located exactly. And maybe also because Milly really had this obsession with pudding and wanted to stop and get herself a cup (or two) while walking. And this characteristic was very obsessive. To the point of not being afraid to shoot someone with her gun if they took it from her, ate it themselves, or just destroyed it.

While Milly happily took big spoonfuls of the delicious, chocolate dessert like she didn't have a care in the world, Meryl was closely checking out the appearance of the city and it's limited population.

Ember Walls was a big place, but there weren't as many buildings and shops as there could be. Homes were small and kind of shabby on the outside, while others had at least two floors and were kept up nicely, big rooftops of taller buildings stretched a good distance, shabbily and not-too-shabbily-dressed townspeople were walking around or doing whatever they needed to be doing at the moment. And when Meryl looked at the South side of the city, she noticed the large sandsteamers making their way through the opening gates, along with several others crowding around to be the first ones their for their ride or to meet the people coming back. It depended.

Arguably, this wasn't the best-looking of the planet's cities. But it had this charm to it. And not only would Meryl be once again chasing after Vash, but she would also get to check out the city and get a good idea of what everyone's lifestyle was like there. Killing two birds with one stone.

"Mmm, are we at the hotel yet?" Milly inquired through a mouthful of the chocolate dessert.

"We should be soon. I remember the map stating that the best hotel is just a few blocks ahead. What was it's name...? Uh...hmm...I can't remember." Meryl laughed nervously, her cheeks reddened a little afterward.

Milly made a reply that was very hard to understand, because she was stuffing another bite in her mouth. But Meryl didn't acknowledge this, and she slipped her hands into her purple pant's pockets and continued walking.

About ten minutes later, the duo found themselves in front of a large building. Which resembled the outside appearance of the hotel Meryl had researched on. At long last, they could put down their luggage and rest for a few minutes!

The outside of the hotel wasn't too nicely-decorated of course. But it looked like the walls had just previously been painted another brown coating, and there was a welcoming feel in the atmosphere around it. And there must have been at least four floors of rooms.

"Well, here we are. Let's go inside and get a room before heading back out." Meryl proceeded to walk up to the door and grab it's worn handle. But something told her to turn around, she did just that to see she was alone; Milly wasn't behind her anymore. "...Milly? What...she was just here a moment ago."

Meryl blinked and looked around the area closely, confused about where her friend could have went off to.

With a sigh, Meryl turned on her heels and walked across the other side of the dirt path. Where a tall woman with long brunette hair, wearing a yellow dress could be seen. That was were Milly wandered off to; she was standing in front of bulletin board, intently reading something.

It didn't take long for Meryl to catch up to Milly and reach up to tap her shoulder and clear her throat. This caught the latter's attention, she just chuckled a little and turned around.

"Milly, what are you looking at?" Yeah, it was a stupid question. But Meryl was curious. And it didn't help that the other insurance girl was just grinning and gesturing to the lined paper on the bulletin board. Her only reply was a knowing; "Hey, read this!"

'_Do I have a choice, Milly?_' Meryl rolled her eyes and then turned to look at the message tacked to the wooden board. The paper was kind of faded and had what appeared to be ink blotches in places, but there was an understandable message that was apparently to inform everyone in the city of some event.

In large print from a typewriter, was this message:

_ATTENTION EVERYONE._

_IN THREE WEEKS, WILL BE THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE CITY'S FOUNDATION. I'VE DECIDED TO DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT THIS YEAR FOR CELEBRATION; WE'RE GOING TO PLAN OUT A LARGE BASH. THERE WILL BE DECORATION, ENTERTAINMENT, AND A LOT OF INTERESTING SURPRISES. ANYONE WHO WANTS TO HELP PLAN THINGS OUT, JUST DROP BY MY HOME AND WE'LL GET STARTED. I'M REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO THE EVENTS, PERSONALLY._

_...OH, AND THERE WILL BE A SPECIAL DANCE HELD FOR ALL YOU LOVERS OUT THERE. HEH, JUST A LITTLE SOMETHING TO PROVIDE SOME FUN AROUND THIS DULL CITY._

_DROP IN AND HAVE A GOOD TIME, ESPECIALLY ALL YOU TRAVELERS AND VISITORS._

_-EMBER WALLS' FOUNDER (SORRY, I DON'T LIKE EXCHANGING NAMES)_

"I don't understand...wait a minute..." Meryl reread over the message and her eyes widened in surprise, realizing what Milly was implying. With the last part about the 'special dance for the lovers'. She scowled and looked up at her coworker. "Now I see WHERE you're going with this. Well, I'm sorry, but I'm definitely not going to attend that event arms linked with _Vash_."

Meryl shook her head and started walking away, tossing her head in an offended manner. But Milly's eyes showed a mischievous glint as she tagged behind, skipping somewhat after each step.

"He wouldn't want to do something so...personal like that with me. Plus, he doesn't really have a romantic bone in his body." There was a brief pause as Meryl placed her hand on the hotel door's worn handle. "You know that."

"Don't be like that. You KNOW that you wouldn't mind going on a more romantic date with him." Milly pointed out with a giggle at the end. "And...maybe...Mr. Vash wouldn't mind it either. He probably has already seen that announcement the city's name-_less_ founder made. And just maybe, he's contemplating how to ask you since it's not something he is used to doing. Just a thought."

"Okay, that is a good thought. But let's forget this and just get our room."

The two girls entered the nice hotel wordlessly, both believing each of their points about the situation to be true. They were close though, and they didn't want to start an argument. Keeping quiet would help calm them down.

And meanwhile, atop the same bulletin board, a small black cat leaped atop it and rolled it's eyes at overhearing their entire conversation. It meowed in annoyance with them and then licked it's paw, preparing to clean it's face.

**[.]**

Upon entering the hotel, that was when everything turned really started getting strange and kind of unexpected for the two Bernardelli Insurance Society employees. And things begun to pick up. Meryl still is at war with herself over what her true feelings for the Humanoid Typhoon are. And she still hasn't found him yet. To top things off, there seems to be some shady faces behind the scenes.

This is...the beginning of a very strange chain of events for our iffy-couple. Boy, if only Vash and Meryl had known, they could have saved all of this from happening by just settling what needed to be settled that night at the bar...

Well, love always works out. Or does it...?

**Continued**

**[.]**

*Headdesk* That wasn't much of a good beginning, right? -.-

Well, this is the first chapter after all. I have many ideas for this story, and it will definitely be continued once I can get to my computer. Things are...busy, for lack of a better word, in my life right now. I can't wait for the weekend, when I can finally sit down for just one day and finish writing some things in peace. But I'm rambling once again...

I know that this first chapter...probably sucked. Like I said, or maybe haven't exactly stated yet, it will hopefully get better. And to be honest, I'm still not sure what genre to put this under. *****Embarrassed*** **Heheh...um...do you think you could help me determine what to put it under? It-it would really help. God, I feel so stupid for not being able to decide what type of genre it is! *Headdesk again*

More characters will appear in the next chapter. The best news is that Vash will make his appearance, and then this crazy love story will be good to go. Sorry for him not appearing suddenly, but I wanted to try and start the story off...showing Meryl's thoughts about all of this first. Seeing that in 'Let Me Buy You A Drink', I think her conflict over how she really felt about Vash was more mentioned and detailed. But, Vash's conflicted feelings for HER will be brought up in the next chapter of course. Be patient.

About the next update...hmm...ah...not really sure when that will BE exactly...*nervously taps fingers together* but I'll work it out somehow. I won't leave you hanging for too long, promise. ^^;

Read and review, you know the drill!


	2. Checking In

A/N: Vash makes his appearance in this chapter. As does the green-haired dude (who's name and backstory will be revealed), Wolfwood, ah and a female OC that surprisingly does have a little significance to the plot. I intend to have things happen in this chapter. What kinda things you ask? Oh, you'll see. :)

Hmm...*Sighs* not one review yet. *Taps desk thoughtfully* Pfft, but I'm not going to give up. Just because there's no reviews, it doesn't mean nobody's READ it yet. So I do still have a chance. I think the problem is just that Trigun is an old anime and many have forgotten about it. ISN'T THAT RIGHT? WELL I WON'T FORGET IT BECAUSE IT'S A FREAKING AWESOME SERIES! D; ...Oh, sorry for that outburst. I'll compose myself...now.

Let me start over. I'm not going to let myself get discouraged over not having reviews. Don't think I'll just up and discontinue because of that. I will just have to sit back and wait; because I'm not the kind of author that will threaten to not write any more chapters, or discontinue, unless you suck it up and say something. Oh no. I won't do that. It's ANNOYING and something that doesn't even work anyway.

Disclaimer: Seriously, I am just a fan of Trigun. Haha, you wouldn't want to see such an awesome series like it put into my hands! *Grins mischievously*

**[.]**

**A Different Kind of Love Story**

**Chapter 2: Checking In**

**[.]**

'_Whoa. This place looks very nice! Ember Walls may be run-down, but this hotel is certainly not bad looking at all! Fascinating, very fascinating..._' Meryl thought, she looked around the hotel in obvious amazement.

The inside of the hotel wasn't bad looking, to be honest. It was much more decorated with interesting paintings, potted plants, and freshly-painted walls. The walls were painted a faint orange color and matched well with the brown, wooden flooring oddly well. The front desk was a mahogany color, maybe, and behind it was a large shelf that contained many books and neatly ordered papers.

At the desk, a young woman was rolling her eyes as she unwittingly listened to her customer brag and try to catch her attention.

At first, Meryl didn't recognize the man that was talking at the counter. But she saw his vaguely-familiar hair color. And his familiar laid-back voice. Her eyes widened somewhat. She remembered him! Well, somehow at least! Where had she seen him before...?

"Meryl, why are you staring at that man?" Milly suddenly asked, looking down at her coworker, searching for an answer in her eyes.

Meryl just ignored her question because she could feel a flashback coming on. Well, she had no choice but to just go along with it and take a peek at this sudden vision of the past. It goes without saying, but she was always rather irritated with flashbacks, as they were very sudden and unpredictable.

...Like that Vash the Stampede. Wait, Meryl clapped a hand over her forehead softly, why was she thinking about him once again?

**[.]**

_"Well, 'kay, my love life sucks."_

_Vash and Meryl exchanged confused looks and then they turned their heads to look over at the green-haired man sitting on the farthest end of the counter. The man sighed heavily and then shifted his eyes to look back at them._

_"...I wasn't talking to you." Meryl deadpanned, giving him an annoyed glare._

_"My bad. I just get carried away easily and misinterpret things, see? On a totally unrelated ice-breaker note," The green-haired man looked back at his half-filled cup of beer and paused to take a swig of it before continuing._

**[.]**

Now she remembered where she had seen him before. This man was the same one whom she and Vash had encountered by total chance at that bar in the last town they were in. She knew it was him; the abnormal green hair was a perfect giveaway for her.

"Sir, I am not interested in your travels." The young woman at the counter coldly stated, not even looking up from a large book she was reading through intensely. "You can either zip it and answer my first question, or just ramble on all the way to another local hotel."

Meryl and Milly both stared blankly at the woman at the counter. Not amused by how she was treating him. How the hell could she expect anyone to stay at the hotel if she acted so rude to them, anyway?

The woman looked like she was somewhere in her twenties at least. She had short light brown hair that barely reached past her neck curled at the edges, slightly slanted light green eyes, white skin, and wore a long violet dress with an apron. She would probably be attractive, if she wasn't giving such harsh and cold stares and maybe had better posture.

The green-haired man sighed and stood back up to full height from where he had been leaning over the desk. "Oh okay, okay. I'll take a small room on the third floor. Wait! I forgot to ask a question," Meryl could sense the man was now flashing his trademark half smile at the woman. "Will you be checking in to clean things from time to time?"

The woman merely rolled her eyes, catching on surprisingly quickly to where he was going with that question. "Yes, my father owns this hotel but I do clean and cook. However, you shouldn't press your luck with me or you'll never be having kids with anyone."

"...Well alright then."

The green-haired man arranged to have one of the hotel rooms. Afterward, the woman unwillingly placed the key in his palm and shooed him away. He turned around to walk off, but stopped short when he noticed the two insurance girls. He gave them his typical half smile.

Meryl scanned his appearance, trying to determine if he was this same man at that bar. Currently: he had short dark green hair that went a little past his neck and was spiked on the edges, hazel eyes, tanned skin which was possibly due to traveling under the hot suns, and was kind of tall. He wore a dark brown hat that somewhat concealed his eyes, a white sleeveless worn shirt underneath a brown vest with longer sleeves, and ripped light blue pants with brown boots. Yes...Meryl noted inwardly, he was the same man. But why was he here?

"Hi, ladies." The man greeted, as if he hadn't recognized Meryl at all.

"Hi! It's nice to meet you!" Milly promptly returned with a girlish giggle, she apparently didn't recognize the man from when she had strolled past the bar window and peeked in. But then again, she was probably just shocked to see Vash and Meryl making out like there was no tomorrow to notice him.

"Wait a minute..." The man snapped a finger in realization. "I remember seeing you somewhere. Uh...you were at that bar with Vash the Stampede? The raven-haired cutie?"

"Yes. That was me." Meryl explained with a small smile. "My name is Meryl Stryfe and this is my coworker and friend, Milly Thompson. We're employees of the Bernardelli insurance Society, actually."

"Yes, we're trying to find Mr. Vash and make sure he doesn't cause too much trouble." Milly added knowingly. At this, the green haired man seemed to understand and he nodded in approval.

After a slight-uncomfortable silence, the green-haired man spoke, "I see. So that's why you were in that last town, now you're here at Ember Walls. At first, I thought you might've been stalking me or something. Haha, I'm such an idiot. Anyway," He pushed up the tip of his hat, revealing his eyes once again, and gave them another half smile as he started taking his leave. "I hope you enjoy your stay here. Maybe we'll encounter again some other time."

Having finished, the mysterious man completely left their sight, walking up the staircase and to his room apparently. Meryl and Milly both looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders. They didn't say it openly, but they kind of wished they had caught his name. He did seem like a good guy now that he wasn't getting drunk and lamenting about his ex-girlfriend. He seemed a little bit more talkative and easy-going.

You could just tell by the tone of his soft, low voice after all.

"Ahem, are you two here to check in?" A quiet, female voice questioned. Being annoyed with the lack of response she was receiving, the owner of the voice snapped a finger.

The owner of this voice was the woman at the counter. She gave Meryl and Milly annoyed glances after looking through the big and heavy looking book once again. And although offended by her way of treating them, they explained why they were here and that they needed a room temporarily.

After all, Ember Walls didn't have many good hotels. Only four. And two were run-down and filthy while the other one was decent, but was being closed up forever. The two insurance girls were lucky to have gotten a good room at this better hotel due to all of the people piling in from the sandsteamers. They made it just in time.

Milly received the key from the woman and handed it over to Meryl's outstretched hand. But she couldn't help but smile and ask her, "Hey, was that green-haired man that was just here trying to catch your attention? He seemed to be _interested_ greatly."

"Hmm. Yes he was definitely interested in more ways than one." The woman coldly replied, looking up at Milly due to their bit of a height difference and the corners of her lips remained flat. "I can't really say I return this interest at all, honestly. The man's charming, but he's not my type. He won't get that through his thick skull..."

"I know the feeling." Meryl murmured almost absentmindedly. She wasn't even looking at Milly or the woman at the counter. She was glancing over at some painting of a bowl of fruit on a cardboard box on the wall.

**[.]**

The green-haired man made it up to his room floor. He entered silently, and just had to half smile at how comfortable it was.

But this wasn't the only reason for the smile.

He was getting this odd vibe that things were about to be kicked up a notch in this city. If Meryl was here, no doubt that Vash is around as well. He couldn't help but be interested in their iffy relationship. It was so obvious that there was tension between them that needed to be solved sooner or later. There is no denying that they have feelings for each other, but must have some deep reasons for trying to prevent it from blossoming into something much more. Dammit, he really wanted to do something about this!

'_I won't be in this city too long. I need to try and do SOMETHING for Meryl, she's obviously head over heels for that idiot and vice versa._' He pondered, walking over to his bed and sitting by the edge. He removed his hat, and ran his fingers through his abnormal green locks that he disliked so much. '_This is my chance: to finally help someone out. Knocking out that bartender back at the other town isn't enough for me to be remembered. Besides, I'm only drifting through every inch of Gunsmoke 'cause I want to help people in any way possible. Don't rule out relationship issues!_'

The green-haired man sat in silence for several more seconds. Plotting, if you will. He wanted to help Vash and Meryl. He understood their problems and didn't want to have to see yet another good couple never even try to work out. Maybe his own relationships haven't worked out in the past, but that doesn't mean others couldn't either.

Hmm...maybe this was just his hopeless romantic side talking again.

Realizing this, he sighed aloud and got up. He just remembered that he was going to go shopping for a new gun, since he had unfortunately dropped his own somewhere in the desert outskirts. Promptly, he left the room once again.

**[.]**

"Come on Milly, the room is right here." Meryl pointed out knowingly, gesturing to the worn dark brown door in front of them. Inwardly, she wasn't too sure about if this was their room or not. The young woman at the check-in desk was so cold and snobby to them that she didn't bother to ask where the room was at exactly.

"Meryl, are you sure? I know that woman said that the door was dark brown, but I keep getting the feeling that ours is on the top floor and not the third."

"Okay, honestly, I'm not sure either. But she was so rude that I don't want to go back and talk to her. Besides..." Bags were beginning to form under Meryl's eyes as she struggled to stay up on her feet and grasp the doorknob. "We'll know it isn't ours when we see someone else's luggage in here."

Let's be honest: Meryl was much too exhausted from their travels to take another step. She just wanted to make to a bed, _any bed_, and just curl up and fall asleep. Ever since Vash The Stampede became a part of her life, she didn't get much good rest at night anyway. Would it literally kill her to just get a well-deserved break?

Meryl grasped the knob once again and gave the door a push. It opened almost immediately, probably had been left unlocked by a careless person. It creaked open and hit the wall, and the two insurance girls peeked in curiously.

The room was fair-sized and had basic colors and furniture. However, there was two beds both on opposite sides of the room. There appeared to be no luggage, clothing, or people hanging around so it gave them the impression that it must be theirs.

Milly scratched her head in thought as her and Meryl stepped in. "I guess this is our room."

"I don't know. We'll just have to ask someone else later." Answered Meryl as she closed the door back behind them with a loud sound. "Now then, I'm going to freshen up a little in the bathroom before we head out to search for Vash. Sigh...knowing him, he's probably somewhere nearby. I swear, It's like he randomly materializes!" Milly took both of their suitcases and set them down on each bed as Meryl made her way to the bathroom door.

However.

Meryl could have sworn she heard water running forcefully. And the distinct sound of singing, that was muffled by the door. This made her raise a brow in confusion. The singing voice sounded oddly familiar...

"Meryl," Meryl screeched under her breath and nearly jumped a few inches in the air before looking back at Milly, whom had seemingly materialized just behind her. What was with everyone doing this lately? "I think this room isn't ours. Maybe we should head back before it's owner realizes we let ourselves in uninvited?"

Milly did have a point. But still, Meryl couldn't shake the feeling that this singing voice she was hearing was very familiar. She knew it was wrong, and kind of an invasion of privacy, but she felt the want to peek in and find out who this was. If only she had used common sense and knocked...

Meryl shook her head and then placed her hand on the knob delicately. This caused the other girl to gasp. "Meryl! We can't barge in!"

"How else can we figure out who's room this is?" Meryl retorted without looking back and meeting Milly's eyes that were burning a hole through her. "The water is running too loud, whoever is in there wouldn't hear us if we knock. We aren't being rude, we're just going to ask for directions is all. Hmm...and that singing voice is familiar too. Like it's..."

"Mr. Vash..." Milly murmured thoughtfully, successfully finishing Meryl's sentence. They both looked at each other in surprise afterward, and curiosity begun to creep up on them. "You don't think he's already...?"

"We'll find out."

At a more quicker speed, Meryl grasped the knob and pulled the door open. But she also managed to do it quietly, so whoever was in the bathroom wouldn't hear it.

**[.]**

The bathroom door opened completely, even banging into the wall with a loud sound and causing Meryl and Milly to cringe in dismay. But luckily, the water was running too loud apparently, and whoever was in there didn't hear them.

This bathroom wasn't really all that interesting. Of course it had a towel rack, counters, a sink, a toilet, and a shower that had a thin bright green curtain weekly attached at the top and was closed.

Now they knew where the water was coming from: the shower. And the singing was more easier to here, and they could make out the words clearer.

"**...Singing amen...I...I'm alive~**

**Singing amen...I...I'm alive~**

**If everyone cared and nobody cried**

**If everyone loved and nobody lied**

**If everyone shared and swallowed their pride**

**We'd see the day when nobody died...**"

Immediately, Meryl and Milly knew who was here. That voice was all too familiar. There was no doubt they've heard it several times before in the past. Meryl blushed faintly and nervously twiddled her fingers, while Milly rubbed the back of her neck and attempted to chuckle nervously.

"...Oh crap." Meryl and Milly both murmured awkwardly.

"WHO SAID THAT?" The voice behind the curtain suddenly screeched indignantly. It was an amazement that he/she could hear their murmurs, but _couldn't_ hear a loud door slam. "WHO-WHO'S THERE?"

The curtains suddenly pulled back somewhat, and a very familiar blond man looked out at what had burst into the room. His light green eyes widened nearly to the size of plates and he self-consciously fumbled the curtains and pulled them up at least up his neck.

"_Oh god_!"

"Vash...!"

"Mr. Vash? You're at this hotel too?"

Meryl could feel her whole face burn crimson as she stumbled back. She didn't realize that Vash was here, and in this very hotel at that. Where did he get the money to stay anyway? Didn't he have no money when he had taken her out to that bar?

Why was she thinking about that 'date' once again?

There was silence for a very long time. The three didn't dare to try and break it, that would only make things worse. And somehow, they felt like this event was strangely-familiar and really rung a bell.

"We're sorry, we didn't mean to intrude!" Milly quickly apologized, now looking genuinely sorry about the situation. You could also see her cheeks begin to turn bright pink.

"Yes...we'll just be leaving now." Meryl added just as quickly, turning around to hide her face as she grabbed Milly's arm. "Let's, ah, meet up later."

"Wait," Meryl and Milly exchanged confused looks before turning around and seeing Vash rub the back of his neck either thoughtfully or nervously. "It's nice to see you two again."

Meryl just stared really blankly, while Milly suddenly reverted to being cheerful and clasped her hands together, she had even replied that it was nice to him as well. ...Not even taking notice to the slight innuendo she had behind those words.

"This isn't even my hotel room..." Vash suddenly confessed, forcing a little nervous laugh after that. Only Meryl noticed that it seemed to be fake. Because she could sense how awkward he felt at the moment. Honestly; she felt just as awkward, but for a different reason. "Technically, none of us should be in here..."

Milly blinked. "But...if it isn't _your_ room, Mr. Vash, then _who's_ is it?"

"And how did you get in here in the first place?" She had stumbled over this question, but Meryl couldn't help but ask this. Though she couldn't help but expect that Vash would just randomly use a room that was empty and had no signs of anyone else using it.

"It's a long story." Was Vash's only reply as color crept into his cheeks and he pulled the curtain a little bit more closer self-consciously.

Meanwhile, Meryl hadn't even heard those words. She had somehow lost herself and involuntarily scanned over what she could see of their crazy outlaw. She could see his soaked blond locks fall flat, rather than the usual spiked style that she had been used to regularly seeing, and give him an angsty look as the color coordinated well with his mysterious light blue/green eyes. She couldn't help but think he looked kind of...well..._unusually attractive_. If only he would at least remove the curtain just a little off his chest. But, she knew he'd never do something like that. He must really find all those scars to be very horrifying for others. But...she'd seen them before, and she had to disagree. Maybe he was really messed up, but it wasn't repelling. She could look at him all-

Meryl suddenly gave herself a mental slap in the face. She had to stop herself right there. She was getting much too far with these thoughts. It's bad enough that she and Milly had barged in way too unexpectedly and nearly gave Vash a heart attack.

Just as Meryl caught herself from going to far with her thoughts, the sound of loud footsteps echoed throughout the bathroom. And then it was soon followed by the sound of _running_. And the next thing everyone knew, they turned around to see a rather familiar priest burst into the open doorway aiming one of the guns from his cross.

"Who are you people?" The man thundered, obviously pissed about them coming in uninvited.

"AAH!" Meryl and Milly latched onto each other in fear, and Vash meanwhile had cried out in shock and disappeared behind the curtain.

The man, fortunately, recognized the three familiar faces in the room and lowered the gun immediately. "Milly? Meryl? Vash?"

"It's Mr. Wolfwood!"

For the record, Wolfwood didn't know what was going on. He had seen the door to his room open, and also the bathroom door. So he naturally assumed someone was in there. It couldn't have been any of the maids, because he was told from the young woman at the check-in desk that they took breaks at this time. Now that he realized it was only that crazy outlaw and the two insurance girls, he felt relieved. And his dark eyes showed it.

"Wolfwood?" Vash echoed, curiously peeking out from behind the curtain.

Thus, began some really awkward events for the outlaw, insurance girls, and the priest...and all it took was one _interesting_ encounter in the bathroom.

**Continued.**

**[.]**

I'm sorry if the chapter was too rushed. But it didn't really have all that much happen, besides introducing Vash, Wolfwood, the green-haired dude, and the check-in girl. So I had a little bit of a tough time trying to get it to develop.

Initially, I had considered having everyone meet up totally by chance in the city, and then get into some trouble. But that idea was scrapped entirely, because I had gotten writer's block when writing a draft scene for it to see how it would be in the end. -_- I really go too far with planning ahead, don't I?

By the way, I'm not getting down on my hands and knees and pleading like an idiot, but I just wish I could get at least one review. I cannot improve with my writing, or have much encouragement/DIScouragement, unless I get them. Don't you want me to improve and write better? Don't you want me to finish the fanfiction completely? Don't you want to see more VashxMeryl in this fandom?

Next chapter: Vash, Meryl, Milly, and Wolfwood are once again together. By the ways of fate, they're even staying at the same hotel! Wolfwood and Vash end up having to be roommates, the green-haired dude encounters them once again, the celebration of Ember Walls' founding and that romantic dance is brought up; to the surprise and embarrassment of Meryl and Vash, and a shady face starts causing trouble.

Read and review! (That gorgeous button at the bottom of the page is calling you~ V )


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Third chapter. At long last. I bet you never expected this to happen. And listen, don't think I'm begging like an idiot, but I would like some reviews eventually. I want to know how this fic is, and I won't EVER know unless you take the time to speak up. *Gives you puppy dog eyes* Please...?

Oh, and be prepared for a little bit of weirdness in this chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own Trigun, and I never will. You wouldn't want me to, believe me on that one!

**[.]**

**A Different Kind of Love Story**

**Chapter 3**

**[.]**

"I didn't think we'd encounter each other again." Meryl began, leaning against the door frame of the closed bathroom. She, Milly, and Wolfwood were all together in the hotel room while waiting for Vash to finish up his shower and come out. She still couldn't cool down her flaming cheeks, feeling embarrassment for the both of them. "It sure is a crazy world, isn't it?"

"Fate usually brings all of us together in weird ways." Came Vash's slightly-muffled voice from behind the door. Everyone blinked and looked at it.

Meryl brought her hands together and twiddled them nervously. "Yeah, and, I am sorry for barging in like that...really. We didn't-"

"Hey, it's alright! No hard feelings at all. Though...ah...I could've lived without that happening."

"I know." Meryl sighed and rested her head against the doorframe, closing her eyes.

Meryl was suddenly very quiet, and apparently in really deep thought. Milly had noticed this, and she looked over at Wolfwood whom was standing right beside her on the other side of the room. She put on a smile and then placed a hand on his shoulder.

"So Mr. Wolfwood, why are you here at Ember Walls?" Milly asked curiously. She hoped she would be able to press information from him, her curiosity was just killing her. But she didn't mind having him here of course, he was a good man in her eyes. In many more ways than one.

"Me? Oh, I only came here for sightseeing. There's a small town near this city, I was originally headed there but my motorcycle broke down on me." Wolfwood was becoming noticeably more and more irritated by thinking about what had happened with his only transportation on the desert roads, and Milly laughed nervously and rubbed his shoulders in an attempt to sooth him. "That damn motorcycle could've gone for much longer...ugh...but anyway! I realized I had heard about this city before. So I just walked here and decided to stay for a little while until I can get enough cash to get another one."

Milly smiled cheerfully. "I'm sure you'll be able to get another one soon."

"Yeah, probably if I play my cards right." Wolfwood replied, now smirking a little as that woman's smile was really contagious for him.

Meryl looked over at the two and her eyes slanted before she heaved an irritated sigh. She could feel the sexual tension in the room just radiating off them. It was beyond her why the two of them just didn't come out and say they had feelings for each other! Hey, they already were showing hints. And they did look pretty cute together, so why keep it unmentioned?

But...admittedly, Meryl was glad that Milly found someone. She, herself, wasn't particularly interested in pursuing someone as her work really kept her busy. She did sometimes wonder if there was that special someone out there for her.

She has heard these stupid sayings in the past, about how you could tell that the person you were meant to be with by encountering them nonstop. Running into them many times, in many fashions, especially totally unexpected ones. But she didn't believe these sayings to be true. Truth be told: the only man that she's run into so much as that quote is...well...Vash. But, but that had to be a pure coincidence for her!

After all, it was her _job_ to track down Vash. It wasn't because she truly wanted to. Or did she truly, secretly, deep down like this assignment of keeping track of that idiot? God, she didn't know. And by the way her head was spinning right now by all of this, she really didn't want to find out yet.

'_Vash isn't that special someone. He couldn't possibly be._' Meryl thought, crossing her arms. She wasn't even listening to Wolfwood and Milly any more, as the Humanoid Typhoon was once again invading her thoughts.

The running water coming from the bathroom was shut off, they couldn't hear it anymore. So that meant that Vash would coming out soon. Good. Now they could talk. Because...Meryl still carried that meaningless note with her, and nearly memorized it's contents by heart. She kept mentally reminding herself that Vash had said in he note he had some to try and settle with her. What this was, she didn't know.

But might have something to do with that one night at that bar.

"Hey, um, are you still out there?"

Meryl turned to look at the door. "Yes, we're all still here. What is it?"

"I...I left my clothes out there beside the bed. I need to get them-"

"No, no you won't!" Meryl nearly shouted, she strolled over to the bag beside Vash's bed and hoisted it up off the floor. She then marched right back to the door and opened it just enough for her to throw it in without seeing anything. She then promptly slammed it back and ran her fingers through her hair as she staggered over there once again to sit.

"Thanks!"

"Yeah, don't mention it..."

Wolfwood and Milly exchanged looks, not even bothering to make any comments.

**[.]**

All was silent in the hotel at the moment. That was good for Eve, as she usually could hear the occasional drama and chaos that went on with the visitors here. Especially around this time when the sandsteamers come in with the travelers and drifters. And when various outlaws try and deceive and threat their way into having a room...

Oh boy, why did this hotel have to go through so much?

Eve sighed loudly and just intensely yet carefully swept the floors of the first floor. She didn't mind cleaning or cooking pretty much all the time because it gave her something to do. Her father owned the place, and she's always wanted to one day inherit it and run it herself. But he thought that just because she was female, she shouldn't have to have that much of a 'responsibility'. He thought that she couldn't handle it and make it successful. Tch, the nerve. That was why she now could barely stand him anymore.

Brushing back her light brown curls from her cheeks, she strolled over towards her desk and started sweeping around it. She should be done soon, then she could get lunch prepared in a good enough time limit as usual.

"Hey, do you need some help?" A cool and laid back voice asked. Eve recognized it almost immediately, and frankly, she wasn't too thrilled about having to deal with him again.

"Hmmph. I can handle cleaning myself." Eve coldly rejected, tossing her head and then looking back down at the pile of dust and sand she was sweeping into the pan. "Why don't you go chase women elsewhere?"

The man, whom was easily recognizable due to his dark green hair that he honestly despised so much, chuckled and moved a little closer to her side. This annoyed her and she merely gave him a cold look. "I'm not trying to flirt with you. I just thought you needed help. And, anyway, I wanted to start over fresh between us. My name's Calvin and I'm a drifter." He walked over in front of her and crouched a little to her eye level as she was shorter and was down on her knees trying to sweep the rest of the pile. He gave her a half-smile and outstretched his gloved hand.

But Eve ignored it. She just stood back up to full height with the pan of dust and sand and walked over to the nearby trashcan to dump it. "I'm Eve." She turned around and twirled one of her curls thoughtfully. "Now will you leave me alone?"

Calvin didn't seem too affected by her rudeness. In fact, he actually seemed turned on by how she obviously wanted him to crawl into a hole somewhere and die. Hey, he liked women with attitudes. Calvin stood back up to full height and was about to drop a line, when the doors to the hotel suddenly were slammed open.

"Ah!" Eve's eyes widened and she backed up to the wall in shock.

There, standing in clear view, was a very shady looking man. He mad some muscles to him and tanned skin. He had dark red hair that was in something of a crew cut and had scars on his ears and very deep one on his forehead. He wore two spiked silver earrings. His chest was visible as he only wore a silver ripped short coat, black pants, and some faded boots. He glanced around sharply before settling his gaze on Eve.

"Not him again..." Eve breathed, trying to compose herself. But it was impossible. She was too scared, and the mysterious man could sense it easily.

"Who is that?" Calvin asked, walking over to Eve.

"There's no time for questions." The mysterious man stated harshly, his tone was cold and he was definitely meaning business. He raised a big and odd-looking gun at both Eve and Calvin, trying to intimidate them. "Don't piss me off and you'll maybe live."

Eve and Calvin's eyes widened.

**[.]**

Vash opened the door and exited the bathroom, now fully dressed and finished showering. Meryl, Milly, and Wolfwood all looked over from the random directions they were standing in and quickly greeted him.

"So...here we all are again..." Milly awkwardly mentioned, though smiling anyway. "In the same hotel, same city, and all. Isn't that weird?"

"'Weird' isn't the word for it. But it's fine with me." Meryl replied kind of quietly. "We're only here because of you, Vash, and Wolfwood's only here for sightseeing before he can get some good transportation to that nearby town."

Vash came closer to Meryl and took a seat by here. "Well, why doesn't he just take one of the sandsteamers that are coming in?"

"I don't have enough money for tickets. And besides, the sandsteamers aren't even headed there."

"Oh."

And once again, there was silence. But it wasn't bad silence...or tense silence, or awkward silence, or even sad silence. The sudden quietness was strangely-comfortable. As it admittedly felt nice to be around everyone once again. When they had thought the last time they had all met up, it would be the last.

Somehow, Milly being herself, suddenly brought up the subject of the hotel room after complimenting it's design. Which was simple and liveable. She then just had to ask why Vash would be using that room to take a shower when it wasn't even his own. As it was really getting to her.

"I didn't have enough money at the time to get a room, see." Vash laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his neck. Meryl could only give him a blank stare. "But I was innocently poking around anyway and noticed the door to this hotel room was unlocked and open a good ways. It seemed like nobody was using it, so I just let myself in."

"It's fine. I probably won't even be in this town long enough to even need the room." Wolfwood dismissed. This caused Milly to gasp a little and look over at him.

"But you should stay a little longer!" Milly was now smiling once again and her cheeks turned a light pink color as she wrapped an arm around Wolfwood's shoulder. "The mayor, he's going to celebrate the foundation of this city! And he said on this little note on a bulletin board that he's going to hold a big party, complete with a special _dance_ towards the end for couples. It would be a shame to miss something like that, wouldn't it? And besides...it's been a while since we've seen each other."

Milly's implications were not quite as subtle as she had intended, everyone else got them. But she didn't mind. She hoped by mentioning all of this that she could get Wolfwood to agree to go out with her to it, and maybe also get it through Vash and Meryl's heads that they should go together as well.

But this would be hard. Well, the second one at least. Because convincing Wolfwood to do something usually tends to be rather easy for her.

"...I don't know. I'm not really into stuff like that, Milly. But," Wolfwood thought for a minute, you could pretty much see a lightbulb light over his head, as he looked over at Vash and Meryl from the corners of his eyes. He suddenly got it. "You could always go by yourself. Or with someone else."

Milly frowned in disappointment, but then she perked up when she noticed Wolfwood quickly gesture over to Vash and Meryl (whom were staring blankly at them), and wink. She smiled wildly and clasped her hands together.

"That's right! But what about Vash and Meryl...?"

"They could always go together." Wolfwood attempted to look extremely nonchalant, he raised a hand and started glancing seemingly intensely at his fingers.

"That's a wonderful suggestion, Mr. Wolfwood!" Milly, this point, couldn't hold it back anymore. And she started giggling really girlishly as if she were a child. Which could be debatable in some times."

Vash and Meryl both lept up to their feet and, perfectly in unison, said, "No it isn't! That wouldn't work out at all!" Realizing that they both denied this at the same time, they glanced at each other in utter confusion.

"Why wouldn't it?" Wolfwood pressed curiously.

Neither Vash or Meryl bothered to reply. The both of them couldn't think of a way to anyway. It was impossible. The both of them could now see the entire scene of what happened their last 'date' at that bar. Most of it anyway, because they were really getting tipsy at the time and a lot of it was a blur.

Even though he got no reply, Wolfwood noted that he didn't need one. He had to admit that there was suddenly a lot of tension between these two since last seeing them. And it was really confusing. But he could catch Milly's hints and suddenly found himself determined to move their relationship along.

Because if nobody did, then Vash and Meryl would never realize they're obviously falling for each other. And it would be very horrible to just let them wonder Gunsmoke for God knows how long without knowing.

"Look, it just wouldn't work." Meryl said flatly, now crossing her arms and walking around the room. Her cheeks turned a light pink color and she refused to look at anybody. "I don't know why we're even talking about this now. It's just getting us nowhere."

'_If only it would work out..._' Vash sadly noted inwardly. He was about to say something, but then a loud crashing noise echoed throughout the building and him and his friends gasped.

"What was that?" Milly cried out, nearly knocking Wolfwood out of her way as she bolted to the door and peeked out.

Then, the sound of repeative gunfire echoed. It was so loud and very close that Milly and Wolfood had gotten to the floor for safety purposes and Mieryl and Vash had unconsciously latched onto each other in shock.

"GET OUT OF HERE!" A female voice shrieked, but this was followed by another quick bang.

"Sorry sweetie, I ain't leaving until I get the money!"

"Like Hell I'd ever give you the money! We don't make all that much, I work so hard to earn it!"

"Would you give it to me if I shot a bullet between your pretty eyes?"

"You bastard!"

"Let go of her!"

Milly whimpered and nearly clawed Wolfwood's shoulders as he helped her up. "I don't like the sound of that!"

"We have to go see what's going on in the hotel!" Vash quickly shouted, instantly fearing for the safety of the victims of all that chaos down there. He just noticed that him and Meryl had been holding each other out of shock, and he blushed furiously and quickly released her.

So, after recovering from their shock, the four all bolted out the door and down the winding staircases to get to the first floor of the hotel.

**[.]**

Vash, Wolfwood, Meryl, and Milly all dashed down the stairs in a rush of panic and then when they arrived at the bottom, they took in the scene and were very shocked at what they found.

The bookshelves behind the hotel's check-in desk were turned over and many scattered the floors with fallen decorations as well. The familiar green-haired man was being choked by a very shady and tall man heaving a large gun over his shoulder, and Eve was huddled up in the corner shell-shocked almost with tear stained cheeks.

"What the hell is going on in here?" Meryl demanded, whipping out one of her guns that she had hidden. But she instantly regretted snapping like that when the mysterious man turned and gave her a glare that nearly bad her blood run cold. She shivered as she noticed that he was choking the green-haired man with one hand and pointed the gun back at him. "L-let him go! I'll shoot!"

The man didn't seem fazed by Meryl's threat. He only scoffed at her. And to add fuel to her anger, he just applied more pressure to Calvin's throat as he gasped weakly and was starting to turn blue from lack of breathing.

"No! Just stop!" Eve cried out from the corner. Dammit, she wanted to get up and do something instead of crying in fear. But she wasn't very skilled with guns or any kind of self defense.

Meryl was sick of seeing such a horrible scene. She tried to rush forward and do something, but Vash had been standing by her side and held out his arm to hold her back. She frowned at this and looked up at him with a puzzled look.

"Vash..." Meryl breathed in complete confusion.

"Don't get mixed up in it." Vash told her, each word spoken quietly as a serious look flashed over his face.

Meryl had knitted her eyebrows together and glanced at Milly, whom was beside her and gave her a nod as she agreed with Vash.

Eve, whom stopped trembling and crying in fear for a few seconds, gathered herself and rushed to her feet. "You...you people have to do something! I can't handle this myself!"

Meryl and Milly were shocked to see that the young woman was acting this way. Earlier, she had a sharp tongue and seemed like she possessed no emotions. But now, here she was crying and trembling in terror. It was horrible to see. That's why the latter took action and ran to her side and embraced her by her left side in a comforting manner.

"That's enough! Seriously!" Vash finally managed to shout, when the man took notice to his existence and turned his head, the Humanoid Typhoon pulled out his gun and aimed it. Though not intended to shoot him anyway.

"Shit, now you've got backups in on this!" The man spat. He scoffed at everyone and reluctantly released Calvin, whom crashed to the floor on his face and started gasping for air.

While the girls glared daggers at the man, and Vash joined them while threateningly pointing his gun, reality hit Wolfwood hard: he just realized that he had forgotten to grab his cross when he had dashed from the hotel room. He was without any kind of weapons now and couldn't help stop this psycho.

Well, that sucked.

But he knew that Vash could handle him. While this other man was intimidating at first glance, he would definitely have some kind of weak spot that would succeed in taking him down. Now having this in mind, the next thing they had to do was make sure Calvin was okay. Wolfwood gathered the women and the four rushed over to where he lie on the floor with his hands covering his abused throat.

This left Vash and the psycho to have to settle things themselves.

The psycho grabbed his large and unusual gun, pointing it at Vash and resting his fingers on it's trigger; ready to pull it any time now. "Don't know who the hell you are, but you better get out before I shoot."

"I don't know who you are either, but I suppose that's why we need to exchange some introductions-" Vash nearly flinched a little when the man growled in frustration at him avoiding the topic.

"I hate useless chatter! Now scram, I just want my _payment_!" The slightly-taller man scowled evilly and then pulled the trigger.

It was chaos! Several bullets were instantly fired from the gun, all headed straight for Vash. But Vash acted really fast and managed to jump back to the side and then turn over the check-in desk and duck behind it.

"You can't stay hidden for long! When I lose my temper, you're immediately digging your own grave!"

Meryl had tried to look away from the scene. But she couldn't she was worried about Vash. She sat there nearly rooted to the floor on her knees with her hands over her head. She watched the wanted man jump, roll, flip, and do all kinds of movements around the room that were necessary to dodge the mega barrage of bullets being fired at him one after the other. All this action was causing her heart to thump rapidly and it wasn't until she felt someone touch her arm and grasp it tightly, did she tear her eyes away.

She glanced to her right, to see that it was Wolfwood whom has grasping her arm and on the floor with her. Milly was crouched nearby beside the desk and cradling Calvin's limp body while Eve shook in fear beside her.

"Meryl, we have to take cover now!" Wolfwood hissed urgently, jumping to his feet and bringing Meryl with him.

"Of course! Wait," Meryl released her arm as she and Wolfwood dashed over to the turned over desk for shelter. "How's the green-haired man? Is he dead?"

Meryl and Wolfwood successfully ducked behind the turned over desk. And the minute they crouched down just as Vash dove by dodging more bullets, the green-haired man made a strained noise and released his hands from his throat; which was looking really dark and bruised now.

"He's going to be okay." Milly informed everyone with a relieved smile. Her smile seemed to lighten the situation a little ways, as her concern was nice to see. "That man just really bruised up his neck. I think it should heal though..."

"That's good." Eve breathed as a ghost of a smile played on her lips for a brief amount of time while she inched closer and inspected his throat. Meryl was the only one to notice, and she could only blink and stare in confusion.

Didn't this woman previously imply that she couldn't stand Calvin? Bipolar, anyone?

Once a loud crash hit their ears, everyone looked up and saw the psycho of a man still trying to shoot Vash. Vash had accidentally slipped off the staircase but had landed a little shakily to his feet and the crashing-like sound was that. Noticing all of this, Eve grimaced.

"Why isn't that man shooting him back?" Eve demanded. Her fear was wearing away and her tears were drying. She was no longer a mess of herself anymore, but Meryl once again could only stare at her.

Wolfwood shook his head and looked at Eve. "Vash wouldn't try and kill him if his own life depended on it."

"I don't understand," Eve admitted quietly, sighing and wiped her dress sleeve over her eyes. "He's even armed with a gun. Must be a hypocrite then..."

"Hey, can you just be quiet?" Meryl suddenly snapped at her, looking up at her with anger flaring in her eyes. It intimidated Eve and she inched back. "He isn't a hypocrite, he just can't stand killing. You couldn't understand him if you _tried_, so don't even begin to." It took a few seconds, but the raven-haired insurance girl slowly realized she had voiced those thoughts. She bit her lip afterward and looked away.

"Meryl..." Milly didn't finish her sentence. She broke it off and looked at her friend with a concerned look. She knew not to say anything now.

'_Damn it! I won't be able to keep dodging forever! There's got to be some kind of way to stop him without destroying the hotel itself, and everyone else in the process! Some way..._' Vash noted inwardly. He dodged another barrage of the bullets and backed up in a corner and took cover behind a decorative table. He looked around, scanning for some kind of way to get out and stop this guy dressed in silver with the short temper of his... he knew there was some way...

And then Vash saw it. He zeroed in on a small, barely noticeable deep scratch on his large gun. It looked pretty suspicious, like firing at a bullet at it _might_ do something!

"Come out and use that gun of yours! I've been lookin' for a good challenge ever since I've come back here!" The man cried out in frustration. He was tired of all the going in circles that they were doing. So he tried another trick; he strode up to the table and kicked it out of the way, leaving Vash without any cover.

"That table was expensive..." Eve managed to comment as she grimaced. She didn't seem to notice Meryl and Milly send annoyed glares in her direction.

"Hey, we don't have to settle things so violently!" Vash teased, now bolting up from the floor and climbing up the winding staircase. He had to pause and duck as more bullets were fired his way. And once it ended, he jumped back up and steadied the aim of his own gun for the scratch on his opponents'. "Okay, okay, try and use that thing now!"

Instantly, Vash fired a bullet and it went straight for the scratch on the huge, heavy gun of his opponents'. Of course, the other man hadn't realized he was aiming it his weapon rather than him. He didn't have the time to dodge and...**BANG! CRASH!**

"WHAT THE HELL?"

"YOU BASTARD!"

"He...he...he fired at the GUN?"

"Vash, you did it!"

"YAY, MR. VASH~!"

"I think I see where he's going with that. Look, there's a mark on that thing that's huge."

It turns out the scratch on the gun was a weak spot. And with Vash's good aim, it hit it head on and caused the gun to begin to crack like broken glass almost. His opponent could only stare in a mixture of shock, rage, and dismay as his gun split into two and crash to the floor.

Now that he was defenseless, Wolfwood, Meryl, Milly, and Eve all got out from the overturned desk and exchanged relieved looks. Vash, meanwhile, had given the man dressed in silver a grin and leapt from the staircase to the floor.

"Vash," Vash blinked and looked over at Meryl, whom had walked over to him with a puzzled look. "How did you know that firing at his gun would do anything? It looked like it was made from a pretty tough material to me."

"I didn't at first." Vash admitted with a nervous chuckle. "But after looking closely, you could see he had a scratch on it. It looked really odd, so I just took a wild guess."

Of course it was a wild guess. Meryl should have realized that sooner, knowing Vash. But still...she was relieved that this was all over. She could barely even calm her rapidly-thumping heart from all the chaos. Despite Eve's attitude, she was still instinctively worried about her after having seen her reduced to a mess earlier. And then...Meryl's eyes fell on the green-haired man whom was unconscious, and was limping adjusted over Wolfwood's shoulder for support.

She was worried about his condition as well. And then, maybe, there was a headache forming as she noticed how much damage was caused in this room of the hotel. God, how she really didn't want to be blamed at all for it.

But these thoughts were put to a halt. Everyone's attention was shifted to the man dressed in silver as he breathed angrily and looked down at his gun on the floor, useless.

"Hmmph...well, you got me I guess. You did put up a challenge." Rage was flaring in the man's eyes as they were locked on Vash, whom was still holding onto his own gun just in case of things got out of hand. "I can't really put up anymore of a fight...so I'm out of here _for now_. But just remember this: you only won due to me underestimating your abilities. That's it. Next time, the fight will be purely matched evenly."

The man glared daggers at Eve all while he walked over to her. She flinched under his gaze as he towered over her with a finger dangerously poking her chin.

"As for you, Eve, you're going to give me the money _or else_. I don't mind killing pretty women either, keep that in mind." Eve's eyes were wide like plates as she managed a shaky and hesitant nod at his threats.

Everyone held their breath as the man collected the remaining pieces of his destroyed gun. He took his leave quickly afterward, and didn't forget to slam the doors behind him violently.

Eve held her head in her hands as she slumped down to the floor. Muffled whining escaped her as well as strangled sobs. Vash and Milly looked at her sympathetically, Wolfwood tried to pull her back up to her feet and sooth her, and Meryl was torn between obtaining pity for the broken young woman or becoming more and more suspicious about what was going on.

Thus, this odd and different love story between Humanoid Typhoon and insurance girl became a little bit darker between the lines. Not only would they both have to handle their situation, but also try and sooth all the conflict and chaos between some of the residents of Ember Walls. And take a chance at stopping the mysterious man dressed in silver...

If they could, that is.

**Continued.**

**[.]**

Yes, it's all coming together now. I know it may seem like the story's drifting away from Vash and Meryl's situation, but it ISN'T. Like I said in the summary (which I may edit): there's several events that will either bring them together or not. And those stated "events" are things like Eve's connection with the enemy dressed in silver, Calvin (The green-haired dude, FYI) and his story, and many other things. Which Vash, Meryl, Milly, and Wolfwood will be getting mixed into and being forced to try and calm things down.

Oh! And, uh, there was a little bit of a screw up in the last author's note. I gave wrong chapter information about the upcoming one! *Feels stupid* Sorry about that. *Chuckles very nervously*

Next Chapter: Eve's connections with the man dressed in silver are revealed. So is Calvin's story, as he gets reacquainted with Vash and Meryl. There's more trouble brewing as well. And somewhere along the way during a group scout of the city for that suspicious man, Milly gets a sneaky little idea.

Reviews motivate me to write more. Please read and review to fuel my motivation! :3


	4. Oh Great, More Problems!

Disclaimer: I never will own Trigun.

A/N: Here's the fourth chapter. So get the popcorn (or whatever snack food you like), get a chair, and just sit back and enjoy the show! It may be a little long, this was due to me not having much time to write this. I've been having problems with my computer recently, but, all those stupid problems should be gone now. *Fist pump* At long last~!

...*Coughs* Well, please read on now. And since Calvin (green-haired dude) and Eve (daughter of the hotel's owner)'s backstories will be elaborated on, any comments about how they're turning out as characters would be appreciated. I need to know if they're okay or not, because you'll be seeing them make their way into the story a lot.

**[.]**

**A Different Kind of Love Story**

**Chapter 4: Oh Great, More Problems!**

**[.]**

Meryl glanced down at her hands folded on her lap as she sat there on a small wooden bench just outside of Calvin's hotel room. She sat with Eve, whom was still shaken by the previous experience and trying not to show it outwardly. No words were exchanged and the silence was nearly unbearable. If they didn't say something or at least look at each other in the eye...well, either of the two young women would lose their minds and crack.

That experience back there was pretty sudden and unexpected. Meryl, Vash, Wolfwood, and Milly hadn't seen the whole thing; but they had all entered in the middle of it to see that cruel man dressed in silver strangling the hell out the green-haired man. With poor Eve huddled in the corner stunned and unable to do anything. None of the four could get what that man was talking about when he said things about getting his _payment_, whatever that meant. He sure did seem serious. Dead serious.

But thankfully, Vash was able to get rid of him temporarily. And we say temporarily, because Meryl just knew that cruel man would return. She had seen it all in his sharp eyes that would make her blood run cold at looking at them clearly. After having him leave in defeat, they still couldn't get any explanations from Eve because she was still too perplexed and scared to say anything. And nobody wanted to bring anything up right now that might upset her more.

Meryl's eyes traveled up to the ticking clock on the wall in front of them. It's constant and brief noise echoing seemingly. This didn't help her try and search for any words inside her head to try and voice that would cause Eve to open up. She started getting lost in her racing thoughts about all that she had previously witnessed. Not only did she have these problems of what her true feelings about the Humanoid Typhoon _might be_. But also the citizens of this city's problems. Oh God, this was just great. More unnecessary stress for her!

After the whole incident, everyone's attention had shifted over to the beaten green-haired man. He didn't look all that well, but he wasn't dead. He had managed to speak a request before passing out; not to waste their time by taking him to a local hospital. Since he was in bad shape, the group was hesitant to go along with his request. Wolfwood had finally declared that they should just listen. And so, now he is currently resting inside his hotel room with Milly and the aforementioned priest checking his injuries together. Nobody really knew where Vash had sneaked off to.

One minute the man dressed in red had been surrounding the injured green-haired man, and then he was gone. Meryl didn't try to show it, but she was curious about that. Why she was curious so suddenly, she did not want to find out.

It's bad enough that she's still thinking about all that had happened that one night at the other town and it's local bar. Then getting kinda drunk and resulting in quite the chaotic ending for their stay in that place. But anyway, Meryl wanted Vash to show back up again. So that maybe she could get a chance to corner him up and civilly explain what he meant by that letter he had slipped in her pillowcase that night before running.

"I'm curious." Meryl's eyes snapped open in surprise of hearing Eve finally speak. She composed herself though and glanced back at the other woman beside her. "What was with that man in the red coat anyway? He seemed like he meant well, but I just don't understand why he didn't try and aim for a vital spot with that gun of his. Why didn't he?"

Irritated, Meryl knitted her eyebrows together and glanced away again, shifting a leg over the other. "I probably shouldn't even waste my breath. You wouldn't understand at all if I...told you."

There was a little bit of a glaring exchange between the two. Meryl's was actually much more piercing and would make ones blood run deathly cold at sight, but Eve's was right up there with it; being very serious and meaning no foolery. Just business. But after a few moments, they gritted their teeth and looked away angrily.

Why where they so bitter towards each other? They just met a while ago, but they felt like they've been enemies for years. There was some horrible tension between them. Meryl didn't even know why she had started to feel pity for the other young woman after seeing her so shell-shocked and afraid. There was no reason to. She didn't even bother to explain Vash's reasons for the things he had done back there. It's not someone like her could handle hearing about it.

Hell, not even Meryl herself could.

Luckily, neither had to say anything. Breaking the tension just a little bit before any violence started being used, Vash wandered up the stairs and walked towards them while taking a large bite from a sandwich. He had warmly greeted them through this chewing, but Meryl and Eve were too pissed too reply. Or let alone bother to inquire him about _where_ he got that sandwich at a time like this.

'_Geez, I wonder why they seem pissed off..._' Vash sighed eternally and leaned against the nearby door, he continued eating and listened into the room at the exchange between Woldwood and Milly about the green-haired man's condition. '_Ah well, I'm sure I'll find out soon. Maybe I can find out from Meryl after I corner her up and FINALLY discuss...things...with her that I've been freaking out over for a while._ _And, ah,_' He could feel heat creep into his cheeks at a rapid speed, followed by the beat of his heart picking up and taunting him. He couldn't stand this, lately every time he's considered things inwardly in his monologue about Meryl, he'd feel so _weird_. '_Oh just stop it, Vash! Get a grip! You're not going to be discussing anything too personal or emotional to the girl, just...gah! WHY DOES THE ROOM FEEL LIKE IT'S AT LEAST A HUNDRED DEGREES SO SPONTANEOUSLY?_'

"Meryl, why is he rapidly making movements and changing facial expressions?" Eve murmured noticeably seriously as she looked over at Vash. There was so many things she didn't understand about this mysterious drifter that's showed up. He was a total enigma to her.

Meryl, whom had been previously trying to cool her anger and frustration down pretty horribly, had taken a look at Eve and then Vash. She smiled unconsciously. She never noticed. "I honestly don't know either...ah...look, what's your name?"

Eve's tense shoulders relaxed. She blinked in confusion, as Meryl suddenly asking for her name after all that intense glaring and dead serious atmosphere. "Oh, it's Eve."

"I'll remember that."

**[.]**

"I'm so worried about him...he seems like such a good man and all, I'd hate for him to have to bite the dust so early..." Milly lamented as she lowered herself to the floor and looked over the sleeping green-haired man's injuries. She shook her head and then extended her hand to brush over the ugly bruises he had acquired on his throat. And then he also had a big cut on his hand that was now bandaged. She had found broken glass in it of all things.

A strong hand landed on Milly's shoulder. "Hey, he'll be fine. You've removed the glass from his cut hand, and helped him regain consciousness. You're pretty good at this, Milly." Milly had blushed lightly at this and chuckled a little as she got up off the floor and to her full height.

"I know a fair bit...I guess. I've never actually had to use any medical knowledge before though." Milly insisted with a smile, she was about to walk a little closer to Wolfwood when she heard a soft groan.

"Ugh...augh...where am I...?"

Milly and Wolfwood immediately walked over to Calvin's beside. He propped himself up on his elbows and squinted through the bright streaming sunlight to look around. He didn't look too bad, but the duo had removed his vest which showed the bad marks around his neck. And his hat was discarded, so his tousled green locks fell over his forehead and close t his eyes.

"HE'S LOST HIS MEMORY...!" Milly shrieked in horror at hearing that question. Of course, neither of the guys expected this and cried out as they clasped their hands over their ears. "MR. WOLFWOOD, WE'LL HAVE TO PUT HIM OUT OF HIS MISERY ASAP!"

Calvin managed a gasp and extended a hand. "WAIT! I haven't lost my memory...yet. I recognize the hotel room now that I look around."

Milly sighed in relief at this, it was obvious that she was very fearful of what Calvin's condition might be. He was grateful, but her overreacting was a little rough for him. Seeing that an explanation was in order, Wolfwood lit a cigarette and prepared to tell him what all had happened back there.

The priest had explained that the mysterious fellow in silver was pissed off for some reason. When him, Milly, Meryl, and Vash entered the scene they had discovered that man strangling the life out of him and the young woman whom worked at the check-in counter being terrified and shaking in the corner. That he had slipped into unconsciousness for a short amount of time while Vash and the man had it out.

Calvin was relieved to hear that Vash managed to stop him temporarily. Though he couldn't help but wonder why his name rung a bell. For some weird reason, the unlucky drifter had the vibe he's seen and socialized with Vash somewhere before. But these thoughts were very distant, as thinking was becoming hard since his throat was sore; and the pain distracted him.

"But that horrible man might return..." Milly mumbled sadly after a short silence. She crossed her arms and glanced out the window. "He swore he would. And it's making me uneasy. Do you know why he was so cruel?"

"No idea." Calvin admitted reluctantly. He shifted uncomfortably in the bed and then sighed in frustration. "I didn't get much of an explanation. The guy just stormed in and confronted Eve. I couldn't stand to see her so terrified, especially since she was previously so strong and well-composed." He managed a quick half-smile that Milly easily recognized and had to smile back at. Though neither knew why they were smiling at this moment. "And, Milly, call me Calvin."

Milly nodded. "Understood. And this man right here is Nicholas D. Wolfwood. We're friends with Meryl Stryfe and Mr. Vash the Stampede. Do you know them at all? I feel like I've seen you _somewhere_ before with them..."

Calvin didn't respond immediately. He lied back and stared up at the ceiling, trying to recall where he might have heard about these two people. After several seconds of silence, Milly and Wolfwood were about to take this as an automatic no, but then the man snapped a finger after seeing a flashback of sitting in a bar with them.

"Yes! The two lovebirds I had encountered at that bar back a while ago after my EX-girlfriend dumped me. How could I forget them after the scene they had made?"

Milly and Wolfwood stared at each other in bewilderment. Mostly Wolfwood, because he hadn't been told of this story and was severely surprised to the point of losing his composure. "Lovebirds...?"

Calvin chuckled, remembering everything that had happened. From the minute they entered, to the minute they had both gotten wasted and caused chaos with the bartender. "I had thought they were a couple at first glance. The raven-haired cutie had denied this immediately and said they were just there for a meaningless date. But after some rounds of really _strong_ beer, they lost it. Meryl had went lusty on Vash and slurred a love confession that I didn't catch due to getting drunk myself. I remember seeing her pull him into a rough and steamy kiss afterward though."

Calvin had said this story so casually. A little too casually. Almost like he saw nothing at all surprising about this story and was very much okay with what had happened. Though it was obvious to Milly that he supported the two of them. Which was a huge relief, as she needed more people on her side.

Wolfwood tried his best not to show it, but he was pretty surprised by hearing this story. He blinked and gave Milly a quick glance for help, she returned it with a playful smile. "Wait...they really went out on a date? Damn, I need to stay in touch more often. Listen, Calvin, did Vash seem to react with pleasure or terror to that kiss?"

Something clicked in Milly's mind. She giggled for what might have been the first time in hours as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Gee, Mr. Wolfwood, you seem to be really concerned about all of this. I'm guessing you're just as anxious as me to see their relationship move along, correct?"

"Ah, no, I'm just curious..." Milly had caught sight of his cheeks flush a light pink color as he made this 'tch' sound and looked away. She knew fully well that he also wanted to see Vash and Meryl finally get together. As much as he didn't want to show it at the moment, he really did care.

"Vash was STUNNED to say the least." A low chuckle rose from his throat. It was the best he could do at the moment to show his amusement. "I swear, his face was so red I thought steam would be erupting at any time! Ah, but he finally got into it and he kissed her back. I keep getting this feeling though that he wasn't quite as drunk as he was leading us to believe, because he seemed to be sober enough to react that way." Milly, at this point, giggled in amusement. Even Wolfwood couldn't help but be too, but he merely smirked a little.

"What happened afterward though?" Wolfwood prompted him. Hey, admittedly, he wanted to know where this tale was going. He hadn't heard from Vash in a while, he was too curious now.

"The raven-haired cutie revealed to me and the bartender that he was THE Vash the Stampede. It turns out that the bartender wanted to collect the bounty off him and attempted to shoot him in the head. After having been around him for a while, I felt like Vash wasn't all that bad a person. I sneaked away and returned to help by knocking that guy out cold." Calvin nodded and then sat up. " But I'm not all that much a fighter. All I could do was hit him with a keg of beer. Vash and the cutie managed to get away, and the rest is history."

Wolfwood took in this story and whistled. "What a chaotic experience. So that's what's going on. I guess it explains the sudden tension between those two and how exactly they know you."

"I just wish there was something we could do to-" Milly was cut off midway in her sentence by the hotel's door creaking open, revealing a little bit of Vash's face.

"Is he awake now...?" Vash asked curiously, Milly and Wolfwood had tensed up when they realized that he might have overheard what they were discussing. Like always. But they managed to compose themselves and nod. Vash had sighed with relief and opened the door wider and stepped inside with Eve and Meryl. "That's great! I was real worried!"

"Oh, it's you." Calvin threw back the covers and shifted around to sit on the edge of the bed. He was warned by Meryl not to many any movements after what happened, but he ignored them and brushed his fingers through his green locks that he hated so much. "Long time no see, Vash. I knew we'd encounter again. That's the way fate works out."

"I'm glad to see you again as well. But, for now, you shouldn't get up yet. That man back there could've shot you in a vital spot, and he would have with that short temper of his..." Vash shook his head to try and clear these thoughts of what might have happened if him and his friends haven't discovered the man terrorizing Calvin and Eve. He took a step forward and forced a smile. "Knowing you though, you're probably going to survive."

Eve looked at Vash in shock, and she crossed her arms over her chest. "Look, Calvin nearly got strangled to death. He may be looking okay now, but he could have gotten killed! Why the hell are you so calm and nonchalant about this, idiot?" Everyone in the room was taken aback by her snapping. Easily, Meryl had reacted the most to those words. Anger rushed to her and she could feel her blood boil.

"Eve, you better just shut the hell up! I can't take listening to you!" Meryl suddenly hissed angrily, rushing forward and getting a good grasp on the other slightly-taller woman's arm.

'_Meryl..._' Vash didn't know whether to intervene or not. He just stood there and watched anger flare in Meryl's eyes as she stared holes into Eve. He was confused, was she really...? '_There's a possibility __she's defending me. But, why? Why would she be doing this now?_'

Realizing that she had reacted so dramatically, Meryl's anger faded and her eyes widened as she slowly and carefully released Eve's arm. She didn't know why she was suddenly so quick to anger when this unusual woman put down Vash. As much as it would seem it was because of her developing feelings for him, she refused to accept that.

So she tried to convince herself that it was because Eve was so strange and seemed to be nearly bipolar. Of course, this wasn't just the case. There was more to the insurance girl just being in a state of confusion over it.

"Meryl, you seem really on edge now." Commented Milly as she walked over to Meryl and put an affectionate hand on her shoulder. She didn't even dare smile this time. And that was just shocking as hell. "Maybe you should go and lie down in our hotel room-"

Meryl waved her hands back and forth. "No, no I'm fine! I just need some time to calm down after all of this chaos!" Of course, she had a feeling that nobody believed her. And Meryl was about to walk towards the door to leave but didn't dare press her luck when she caught sight of Wolfwood slyly shift over to it. It was like he wanted her to stay.

But why would he? Unless, of course, he wanted her to stay so that they could all discuss civilly what was going on between Eve and that short-tempered man dressed in silver. Along with Calvin's story and why he was here. Ugh, here we go with more problems. But at least this made for an interesting trip, she assumed.

**[.]**

It seemed like time had passed by slowly for the next several minutes. Surprisingly, lot's of things were stated and explained during that time. Since the group understood and acknowledged the fact that they didn't have anything important in particular to do; they stood around in Calvin's hotel room and talked. But it was not fair weather and generic type conversations. They were serious, grim at least.

To start off, Meryl and Milly decided to explain into more detail to Calvin and Eve about their work and why they were here. That they worked for the insurance society and were instructed to keep an eye on Vash the Stampede and try and prevent him from causing too much damage to the cities and towns of Gunsmoke. They went into a little bit of detail about themselves and about personal likes and dislikes and all as well. But Meryl was determined to not mention why they were in Ember Walls.

Because it wasn't just for their job. Maybe it was for Milly, but Meryl had only came here for Vash alone. Not as a worker out on an assignment that she did not have a say in, but 'cause she wanted to. She probably didn't have to follow him here. But she did. The way she interpreted it: is that she just wanted to settle any tension that there may or may not be between them. Which, if you think about it, is basically the whole reason for this odd love story.

After they were finished, Wolfwood put in a little about himself and his work. Though he didn't go into a lot of detail because he saw no reason at the moment to do so.

Vash didn't really say much at all. Mostly keeping it vague by saying he was a drifter and wandered into the city to check things out and unwind a little. This story wasn't really true, he knew that, but it was the only thing that came to mind and Eve seemed to believe it. He didn't really say anything about being the infamous wanted man at all, he didn't want to stir up much trouble. Plus, doing so would blow his chances at getting to stay here at this hotel.

And since these travelers were done with their explanations, Calvin decided to say some words about himself. He gave everyone his name and stated that he could remember the events of what had happened at that bar a while back, even though some parts were fuzzy due to him having been drunk at the time. He shared with them that he was just an aimless drifter. His family had fell dead when he was young due to a bad disease that ran in their blood. So he had to support himself and decided to go wherever the wind took him, or where he felt that he should. All his friends that he had made during his travels had gotten killed previously and his long-time girlfriend that he would keep up with long-distance had dumped him for an older dude. The reason he was at that bar was because of that, he hoped to try and drink away his problems. He failed at it, but he claimed that he didn't regret making the decision to do so. Because he encountered Vash and Meryl. He felt like this meeting was not a mere coincidence; he didn't believe in coincidences. Everything must have a reason, right?

Calvin didn't say this out loud, he actually was very glad to have encountered the two again. He considered himself to be something of a matchmaker at times because once he started getting the unexplainable vibes that two people were meant to be together, he was eager to make that a reality. Since socializing with them, and now being around them once again, he keeps getting these same vibes like crazy. Whether they know it or not, he wants to get them together.

"So, Eve, now that we're done talking...I think maybe you should explain what we all want to know." Milly started as soon as Calvin finished. She turned to Eve with a surprisingly serious look in her eyes. "What's your connection with that man dressed in silver? I noticed that you were terrified when he made eye contact with you, of course I was too, so why is that?"

"You can tell us what's going on." Vash prompted, seemingly materializing beside Eve and giving her this warm smile that could possibly make even a stoic person crack underneath it and return it.

This whole thing was very sucky for Eve. She didn't want to give away this information to some strangers, that she barely knew. She was silent for a while and paced the floor with her eyes locked on it as if burning holes into it. She was never good with trusting others' and getting built-up stress off her shoulders. There wasn't many that she told all of this to, not even her own father.

But, seeing that these travelers were genuinely concerned and wanted to help her, Eve decided to talk. A little bit reluctant, but it still was a huge step for her.

"Alright...but don't let anyone else know what I'm about to tell you, especially not the lone sheriff we have in this city." Eve hissed in a low tone as if she were really nervous and trying not to be heard. When they nodded, she sucked in a deep breath and started talking. "That _horrible_ man who stormed into the hotel was an infamous criminal that's always passing through here to stir up trouble. I wish he'd leave, but he's been staying out here from any officials and bounty hunters for about two weeks! Nothing is really known much about him, except that his name's _Spiked Silver_, he carries with him a very unusual gun that is highly loaded and can fire several barrages of bullets a minute, has a short temper, and can be sadistic. The reason he was barking at me about receiving his 'payment' is because my father, who owns this place, owes him around $$99,000." Eve narrowed her eyes angrily and rested her twitching fist on the wall. "He's such a bastard! He comes around here like a maniac and threatens and yells at me to give it to him 'or else', but we don't make much profit in this business because of the poor economy here in this city! And even though this around the time when the sandsteamers start coming in with resources and travelers/sightseers, this hotel doesn't offer much for them and they're flocking to the best hotel here! Barely ever this one..."

Milly's frown grew and she crossed her arms, shifting her weight on each foot. She wanted to just go over there to Eve and embrace her from the side and tell her that she didn't have to be so depressed over it. But she resisted this and asked, "But why does your father owe him so much? Did anything happen between them in the past, Eve?"

Eve seemed restless as she paced the floor once again. And even when Milly tried to reason with her, she still wouldn't calm down. It appeared that she really didn't want to talk about this. Though, she finally replied, "My father raised me alone because my mother had died during childbirth. He used to have a little bit of money before I ever came to be. But he had to pay every bit of it just to get her into a good hospital for the delivery. And we've been living on hard times since then together. It's nearly impossible to get a decent amount of double dollars to buy even a fork with. This city has always struggled. Spiked Silver used to stroll through here when I was a young child and cause trouble. Once my father had decided to build this hotel up from ruble after the battle and take responsibility as it's owner, the cruel bastard had stopped in for a few days." Eve released a breath, very tensely. "Father had accidentally destroyed his 'trademark' gun after a little incident with some pesky robbers. I don't feel like going into detail about that, it's a long story, but Spiked Silver had found the damned gun beaten and completely unusable. He had barked at him that it was made from a very rare kind of material and was a one-of-a-kind design. He was so mad that he declared he would have to pay him $$99,000 as that was the amount he had to pay in order to get his hands on that thing in the first place."

Everyone remained silent as Eve paced the floor and eventually sat in a lone chair and buried her head in her hands, trying her hardest not to just break down and cry. She hated doing that, so much.

After a lot of prompting from Vash, Calvin, and Meryl, Eve managed to be able to continue with her story that they really needed to know. She added that it's been years since then and her father still couldn't pay him back no matter how much little cash he could scrounge up. For a brief time, he hadn't been wandering through the city to threaten for his payment. It had given the two a spark of hope that he had forgotten about it.

That is. Until he once again stormed in after about a year of not showing his face. He still held so much rage about the incident. Eve explained that she was twelve at the time and puberty was really hitting her at the time. Keeping this in mind, Spiked Silver had tried to strike a deal with her father; if he gave Eve over to him for 'reasons', he would try and get over this and leave him alone. The bastard saw her as a sex object and nothing more now that she was technically mature enough for sexual activity. And he wouldn't have to worry about being known as a pedophile on top of being a wanted criminal.

"That's horrible..." Wolfwood commented quietly, he sighed. Fearing of where this story may lead to. "Did your father accept that deal?"

All eyes in the room fell on Eve. She grimaced and leaned back in the chair a little as a distant look clouded her own eyes. "...No. He didn't accept the deal. I was so relieved beyond anyone's understanding. And it made me happy to know that he cared about me like that. But it burns me up now, because I had found out after a couple of years that he thought I was just weak and couldn't live independently or stand up for myself. But, anyway, Spiked Silver appeared enraged at that. He didn't say anything and stopped out of our house. I hoped that he would never come back, but, he broke into my room later that night at around midnight when I was trying to sleep and he..."

Vash, Meryl, Milly, and Calvin all stared with widened eyes, now _really_ fearing where this was going. "What did he do? WHAT?" they all asked together.

Eve knitted her brows together and a low growl escaped her throat that she had been trying to hold back. "He had attempted to rape me. I don't know the reason why that was, he just cornered me up and almost removed all my clothes except my underwear; I had screamed for help and my father had heard it and burst in the room to help me. Even though I narrowly escaped being forced into it, I was still very scared from that experience and vowed that I would be very careful about who I trusted and stay distant from other people. So far, it's been good. But back to the point," Now, everyone was really feeling a lot of sympathy for her. Surprisingly, even Meryl. Whom could understand why she was like this, but felt that she still couldn't completely understand everything. "Just before he left the way he came, he declared that he hoped this experience would make him realize he needs to pay him back or else I would be in his possession."

Meryl snapped a finger in realization. "So that's why he was barking at you about a payment. And even to this day, he still wants it. If either you or your father never give him this amount of double dollars then...he's going to take you away with him."

"I can't believe you're in this kind of situation!" Calvin chimed in, getting out of the bed. Milly had rushed to his side and warned him that he shouldn't try and get up, but he refused and insisted he'd be okay. He walked over to Eve and pulled her chin upwards to look at him in his hazel eyes. "Listen, Eve, you don't have to worry about anything. I'll do everything I can to stop that guy."

He had thought that Eve would be calmed by his words. But instead, Eve looked very doubtful and on edge, like she didn't believe any of it.

"You're only saying that crap because you feel pity for me." Eve bitterly replied, now burning holes into his eyes. He appeared to be caught off guard, and couldn't find the right words to say.

Seeing Calvin's terror and panic, and Eve's rage and doubt, Vash jumped in and separated them. "Eve, Calvin's not feeling only pity for you. I can sense that he _wants_ to help you but he knows that he can't stop Spiked Silver with his own hands." Calvin had looked at Vash with a surprised look in his eyes, but that wore off quickly and he flashed him his typical, lazy, half-smile. He was glad to know that he was on his side here. "And after hearing about what Hell you're going through...I can't ignore this situation! I want to help! Spiked Silver WILL be defeated and run back to wherever he came from! And I'm sure that my friends here also are on our side..." Vash wiped away the anime tears running down his eyes and threw a glance at Mery, Wolfwood, and Milly whom were standing beside one another. The three all thought for a moment, considering their answers to this. But they eventually all nodded mutely.

"I don't really have any business in this city, but I could help out at least." Wolfwood responded, a brief little smile flashing over his face before disappearing in an instant.

"Of course, I'll help you too!" Milly responded as she sniffled and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. She pulled out her large gun and held it high, looking very threatening. "I probably won't be able to do much, but I'll shoot some bullets through that horrible man's head if I have to!"

Meryl, on the other hand, didn't really respond as fast. She was inwardly debating what she should do. Since she had came here to this city not just for trailing Vash, but also to settle things between them and find out how she truly felt, and helping Eve on the side would really take up a lot of her limited time here. Besides, she still felt a little bit of a natural dislike to that young woman despite finding out her story.

But when Meryl had looked up to give her response, and caught sight of the very sympathetic look fogging in Vash's light green orbs. Well, she had broken down. "...Okay. Um, you're in a very tight spot. I can't say that I'm doing this of my will; but I'm going to help out too. If I have to, I'll resort to a little shooting!" A serious glint flashed in her dark eyes. It nearly surprised Vash when he had been the only one to catch it. This caused him to inwardly smile.

Eve, meanwhile, could only stare with widened eyes as she surveyed everyone in the room. She was stunned as hell that they were actually going to help her out. Even after how rude and stuck-up she had acted to them previously. She had to struggle to hold back the tears from spilling over in her eyes.

Thus began a chain of interesting events to occur for the group, Vash and Meryl specifically. The kind of events that would put them to the test of things like teamwork, trust, friendship, but mostly their true feelings for each other. It was strange how through other people's own problems, this managed to happen...

**[.]**

A little bit of time passed by. It must have been late in the afternoon by the time the group all set out of the hotel to look around the city for any trace of that outlaw, Spiked Silver. Eve stayed behind, and Calvin had offered to stay and comfort her; but she coldly refused his offer as if he had just done something unforgivable to her.

Arrangements had also been met for everyone. Meryl and Milly were able to get their own room that was on the floor above the one they had encountered Vash in. And since the Hummanoid Typhoon didn't have quite enough cash to get his own room, Meryl was surprisingly quick to suggest that he could always be roommates with Wolfwood; as there were two beds and enough room in there. He was grateful for her help, and mentioned it out loud which caused her to blush and mumble an incoherent reply. Even though the traveling priest wasn't so thrilled about the thought of having a roommate, especially one like Vash, but he couldn't bring himself to refuse.

At least, they now had the proper shelter and could move on to the several problems haunting them all. Not only was there Eve's terrible situation with a criminal, but there was also the open and unresolved fate of Vash and Meryl's feelings for each other; with Calvin and Milly wanting to be sly little matchmakers pulling some strings and moving things along.

"_Ooooh, I can't believe this is all happening! I'm worried about Eve. But I also am worried about Meryl and Mr. Vash, they both need to realize they're crazy for each other already,_" Milly brushed back her long brunette locks and squinted as she gazed up absently at the two suns high in the sky. She released a small sigh in exasperation. "_If only there was something I could do for both predicaments at once? I may as well since I've seemed to have gotten lost from Mr. Wolfwood's side..._"

Just as Milly suspected, a little slowly, Wolfwood was no longer at her side with her. And she seemed to be in a different part of this city, having accidentally and unwittingly wondered away from her man. Great. Now how would she be able to get back to him now? He was probably looking high and low for her at the current moment.

But it wasn't entirely her fault she had gotten separated from him. It was her mind: all the worries and thoughts about all this drama racing throughout it at dangerous speeds. Milly usually didn't like to meddle, but she felt like she was doing the right thing by getting involved in these problems because both needed much attention, support, and a crafty mind to put solutions into place. It was up to her now. That's all there is to it in a nutshell.

However. No good strategies came to Milly's mind. It really brought her down and she sulked as she wandered the hot, dirt streets of Ember Walls. After she had walked a little farther and rounded a corner, she found herself back at a familiar spot she recognized.

That exact bulletin board that she and Meryl had strolled by earlier! Yes! This meant that she was close to the hotel. She walked up to it curiously and peered over at the papers, fresh from the typewriter she guessed, pinned to the wooden stand. A small little cat with black fur sat atop it and looked at the woman with it's tired green eyes. It really wanted to be somewhere else at the moment, but it was liking basking in this sunny spot and warming it's jet-black fur.

"Meow~!"

Milly blinked and turned her head towards the cat's direction. A smile graced her lips as she extended a hand and brushed over it's head between it's ears. "Hello there." She was about to grab the feline and continue to brush through it's shiny fur a little longer as it seemed to be enjoying this, but then a familiar paper on the board caught her limited attention; she ignored the cat and instead grabbed the message.

_ATTENTION EVERYONE._

_IN THREE WEEKS, WILL BE THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE CITY'S FOUNDATION. I'VE DECIDED TO DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT THIS YEAR FOR CELEBRATION; WE'RE GOING TO PLAN OUT A LARGE BASH. THERE WILL BE DECORATION, ENTERTAINMENT, AND A LOT OF INTERESTING SURPRISES. ANYONE WHO WANTS TO HELP PLAN THINGS OUT, JUST DROP BY MY HOME AND WE'LL GET STARTED. I'M REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO THE EVENTS, PERSONALLY._

_...OH, AND THERE WILL BE A SPECIAL DANCE HELD FOR ALL YOU LOVERS OUT THERE. HEH, JUST A LITTLE SOMETHING TO PROVIDE SOME FUN AROUND THIS DULL CITY._

_DROP IN AND HAVE A GOOD TIME, ESPECIALLY ALL YOU TRAVELERS AND VISITORS._

_-EMBER WALLS' FOUNDER (SORRY, I DON'T LIKE EXCHANGING NAMES)_

"It's that same message about that bash the name-less founder of this city is planning...the one I had seen earlier." Noted Milly, her tone sounding rather distant as she spoke. She placed the paper back onto the board and stood there in silence as the gears in her mind started moving. Finally, she gasped a little and a mischievous smile like that of a cat creep itself onto her lips.

It even shocked the cat. And it meowed irritatedly and then leapt off the bulletin board to wander off elsewhere. Milly didn't even see this, as she was too busy being caught up in the middle of a nice and sneaky idea forming in her head.

"_That's it_!" Milly announced out loud with much emphasis pressured on it. Her mischievous, kitty smile only grew as she clasped her hands together excitedly and giggled. "I have an idea about how I can move along Meryl and Mr. Vash's relationship! But I will need some help to pull this off, maybe I can go find out Mr. Wolfwood and Calvin to lend a hand..."

And so, off Milly went to search for Wolfwood and Calvin. She entirely forgot about Eve's situation and the fact that she was originally supposed to be on Spiked Silver's trail. But she didn't care at the moment because she was oh so eager to put her idea into action. The idea had something to do with that bash celebrating Ember Walls' foundation of course.

There was a good chance that her plan would succeed. Yet, as she neared the nice hotel of the city after narrowly getting through crowds of travelers from the sandsteamers, she realized that there also was a chance that her spontaneous plan would fail. But hey, she liked these odds now that she gave it some thought. If it was to finally make Vash and Meryl come to understand their deep feelings for each other that they've been nicely hiding...then it was worth the risk!

**Continued**

**[.]**

Apologies for the late update and the rushed feel, 2011 has been such a busy and stressful year for poor me so far. -_- But anyway, I hope the chapter was fine anyway. I hope that Calvin and Eve's stories were explained well enough. I'm over here hoping. *Crosses fingers to make my point*

There's more to come with the story. I think I'll be a good sport and give you a little bit of a preview of what the events of the next two chapters will include:

_**Next chapter: Milly crashes into Wolfwood literally...and reveals to him her idea of how she could move things along and get their friends together at long last. Back at the hotel, Calvin returns for an early dinner and manages to encounter Eve and talk with her. He reveals to her a little bit more about his own past, and she can't help but be interested further.**_

_**Following chapter: Spiked Silver causes a little chaos at a bar and learns a rumor that Vash The Stampede is in the city, he becomes set on finding the outlaw then (not realizing that he was his previous crazy opponent). Vash and Meryl encounter after returning back to the hotel and decide to talk...but why are they feeling so strange around each other? Is it some kind of illness, or something? And a certain somebody presses a little too hard for information and hits a nerve, causing a little bit of an upset.**_

I still need to finish writing some other chapters and do more updates. It's possible that there might be a little bit of wait for the next chapter; but I promise not to leave anyone hanging for too long!

Read and review, my motivation needs to be sparked once again! =^_^=


	5. Let The Plotting Begin

Disclaimer: I don't own Trigun and never will. So there.

**[.]**

**A Different Kind of Love Story**

**Chapter Five: Let The Plotting Begin**

**[.]**

In a love story, there's always that one person who decides to play matchmaker and usually ends up winning in the end due to their smart plotting of how said couple should get together and admit their feelings.

Well, that doesn't happen the way it is told here.

The scorching sun beat down on Milly's head as she happily skipped the desert streets of the city. She had gotten used to the heat anyway, living on such a barren and warm planet after all. Even though there was so much drama going on at the moment with Vash and Meryl's situation, plus Eve's. She was an optimistic girl though, and didn't dare let herself become discouraged. She had faith that her plan would work out.

Her little scheme was simple: she would get her man, Wolfwood, to go out with Vash for a while. Just the two of them to hang out and talk. Somehow, he would do as told and somehow bring up Meryl in the conversation; complimenting her in some manner and mentioning that it was a surprise she still was single. And then lure Vash into agreeing with him and admitting his feelings. Then, meanwhile, she would sit with Meryl in their hotel room while the latter was doing paperwork.

After waiting a few moments to allow the smaller young woman to compose herself from the stress of work that she was going to be doing, Milly would bring up Vash somehow. And she would compliment in him in a way that Meryl would slip up and agree with. Then she would make sure to imply that Meryl seemed to be falling for him more and more, which would no doubt break out into an argument that was entirely one-sided. Then, Wolfwood was to later return back with Vash to their shared hotel room. Which was on the same floor of their own, just one room away. Once they walked by, Wolfwood would continue to do as told and comment about the arguing that would be coming from the room. And saying they should listen in for a few moments.

"Finally," Milly stated aloud as she recapped this scheme, a kitty smile forming on her lips as she giggled. "I will make Meryl slip up and say that shes' right; she doesn't love Mr. Vash. And since she always likes to argue about this topic, she'll admit that she _does_ have feelings for him in her state of frustration with me! Mr. Vash will overheard, and, everything will be settled between them." Ah, she knew this plan would have to work.

Familiar run-down scenery of buildings, golden walls in the background, chatting and working residents, and landmarks was recognized by Milly as she walked down the streets of the city. She knew exactly where she was now: close to the hotel. It was a good thing that her and Meryl had studied this town's layout beforehand, or else she would be hopelessly lost and have to look like a complete air head trying to find her way around.

A few minutes later, she found herself walking through a little marketplace. She sighed in a discouraged manner, but she refused to admit that she was lost.

How silly would it look for her to be wandering through a city she had researched on and stayed up late into the night memorizing the layout piece by piece, now forgetting it all because of a sneaky plot on her mind?

"_Oh, how frustrating!_" Milly screamed in her thoughts, a grimace forming on her face as she just walked over to a large fountain in the middle of the marketplace and poured like a child. "_Mr. Wolfwood needs to hear this plan, it's a good one and I'll need his help! But here I go, forgetting the layout of Ember Walls!_"

Well, getting frustrated wouldn't get her anywhere at all. Now would it? So Milly just eased her tense shoulders from where she was sitting, closed her eyes, and listened closely to the water shooting up and into the air intensely. This kind of technique was said to be able to relax a person. And now that she stayed in this position for several moments, she _did_ feel much better!

Water was very hard to come by on Gunsmoke. But this city seemed to have a good supply of it for them to have a small fountain right in the middle like this. And the ditzy insurance girl very much appreciated it, as it really cooled her flushed and hot cheeks and the sound of it splashing endlessly was refreshing for her. Her annoyance with herself for getting lost was completely forgotten.

Sitting here and relaxing made her mind wander. First she started thinking about Eve's situation, about how horrible it must feel for her. It was true that Milly couldn't even begin to put herself in her shoes, not many could, but she was strangely-sympathetic. She wandered why Meryl didn't seem to be all that sympathetic for her, it was weird.

By the way, hopefully Vash, Meryl, and Wolfwood were doing well on their scouts for that cruel man dressed in silver. Once they could find him, and figure out his motives, there was no doubt that they could all unite with Calvin and Eve to stop him.

Then Milly's thoughts wandered over to Calvin. She couldn't figure it out, but there was something really good about that man. He seemed like a good person, he seemed so friendly towards Vash and Meryl as well; which was very good. She could try and convince him to help make a sneaky plot to get them together if her over one does not work out. And she honestly hoped he would get another girlfriend soon, maybe Eve? She could just tell by the dreamy look in his eyes whenever he looked at the young woman that he had a special interest in her. How cute, she squeeled inwardly!

Finally; her thoughts wandered over to the crazy outlaw and short-tempered woman. Once she had seen a happy couple walk away from a small little shop hand-in-hand. She noted that being in this city would really be able to bring them together and end their unresolved tension the way it's supposed to be.

Fate keeps bringing them together with all these crazy situations. Even though Vash and Meryl did not seem to believe it. It just seemed so very apparent to her that they were meant to be together. And once walking past that bar previously and seeing them make out, she had been no doubt convinced that they had feelings for each other they just didn't want to reveal. And what about when Vash had given Meryl a goodnight kiss before the radio had interfered? He seemed so into it, looking like he was about to fly off the ground afterward!

"_Sitting here will not do anything though._" Milly noted. She propped herself up and slipped off the small sitting area on the fountain. After carefully smoothing the wrinkles of her coat, she smiled cheerfully and quickly started walking off down the dirt streets of the city. "_Mr. Wolfwood has to be somewhere in Ember Walls looking for me. Once I find him, it shouldn't be too much trouble to convince him to lend a hand._"

Just the excitement alone of finally resolving things between Vash and Meryl was what kept Milly going. She was walking quickly and cheerfully down the streets, taking the most random directions possible to get back to the hotel. One may assume that this was dumb and would get her nowhere at all, but she was surprisingly making good progress; recognizing a lot of the scenery and know remembering which to go to return to the hotel.

Rounding a final corner, Milly suddenly crashed into something...or rather, _someone_. She shrieked indignantly and fell down onto her knees. The person she collided with, made a low gasp and rubbed his shoulders.

"Milly! I'm sorry about that, I didn't see you coming!" Now that male voice was very recognizable for Milly. She cracked her eyes open and looked up to see Wolfwood's concerned face. A smile finally appeared on her pursed lips.

"Oh, it's alright!" Milly had tried to get back up to her feet. But she only fell back. With a small sigh, Wolfwood extended his hand for her, and she gladly took it and was pulled up to her feet. "Haha, thank you..."

"Where did you go anyway?" Wolfwood asked her, sounded really confused as he went on. Milly couldn't help but lower her head a little, guilty about just stopping and letting him walk off. After all, they were supposed to be searching for Spiked Silver. "I turned my back and then you were gone. And tracing my steps didn't work out at all, I only got lost several times. This damn heat didn't really help things either..."

Milly sighed. "Well, at least we're back together again, and," She suddenly perked up and reached forward for Wolfwood's hands, clasping them into hers excitedly. He wasn't expecting the action and stared in confusion. "I have something absolutely wonderful to tell you!"

"You were able to locate Spiked Silver, Milly?"

"Oh...um...no, not yet. Actually, I came up with a great plot to help get Mr. Vash and Meryl together! And _you_ are going to help me, of course!" Milly's eyes were practically glimmering in her uncontainable excitement. At seeing this, Wolfwood's annoyed look was quick to melt into more of a softer one. Yes, there was just something about that woman that really...

Wait, there was no time to be thinking this, Wolfwood kept reminding himself. He sighed inwardly and went back to listening to Milly go into further detail about her plan. Maybe once all of this drama was over with, he could finally be able to get her alone at a good time and ask her out. Just maybe.

Before the two knew it, they were walking off down through the city towards the hotel. Milly was happily talking about her scheme to get them together, sounding very cheerful and upbeat and making crazy hand gestures in the process. Wolfwood was right by her side listening quietly and lighting a cigarette. He had to admit though, her scheme sounded so crazy-yet-logical at the same time. How strange.

The more Milly said, the more Wolfwood considered how this plan would work. By the time they made it at the hotel, and she was finished officially. He was convinced that it just might work out. And he even spoke his thoughts out loud and agreed to help her.

Because, honestly, the priest himself was tired of seeing Vash and Meryl not do anything at all about their obvious feelings for each other. Actually, lots of people were. So at least he was not alone here.

**[.]**

Although there was not many guests at the hotel at this time, Eve still had to get into the kitchen and prepare some meals for what customers that were staying there. She wasn't the best cook and her food usually turned out pretty bland and flat most of the time, but the chef had quiet earlier that month.

She wasn't sure whether to be glad or discouraged that the hotel doesn't have many guests at the moment. Ever since that much nicer- and expensive, hotel opened it's doors a few months ago, the travelers coming from the sandsteamers were piling in there. Counting Vash, Wolfwood, Meryl, Milly, and Calvin, there was no more than eight guests residing there. If she didn't get many customers then...she would never be able to get the large and unreasonable amount of double dollars that Spiked Silver was on her case about. And she would have to live in her terror of him forever.

Eve tightened the frilly white apron around her dress, gathered her hair back in a short and messy ponytail, and entered the tiny kitchen. She thought for a minute about what she could prepare, seeing that there was eight people that would possibly be eating it. And she had to settle on some dish that would appeal to those different tongues. With a loud and exaggerated sigh, she sulked over to the cabinets and started rummaging for some pots and pans.

For the next few minutes, she pulled out the needed dishes and set them carelessly on the countertops. The daughter of the hotel's owner was just about to step up a little on her tiptoes to reach the highest shelf, when she jumped a few inches off the ground after feeling some warm arms encircle her from behind.

"EEEK!" Eve's eyes had bugged out and she pressed a hand over her chest to try and sooth her thumping heart. When she shifted her eyes and caught sight of familiar green tresses, she put on her typical scowl. "What the _hell_ are you doing?"

Calvin removed his arms around around her, and backed up a little to give her some space. Eve had whirled around and raised her hand to slap him, but found herself freezing and slowly setting her hand back to her side as they made eye contact.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." Calvin laughed nervously and scratched the back of his head, a light pink color dusted his cheeks.

"Hmmph. Do it again and you may not be let off the hook so easily." Eve glanced down and fumbled with her fingers. "Keep in mind that I only decided not to slap you because you had just gotten injured a while ago. Which begs the question...why are you even out of bed, Calvin?"

"Oh, I just got a little hungry. Figured I might as well come get some lunch." He looked over her at the careless mess of dishes and gave her his typical half-smile. "Were you about to cook? Can I...help you, Eve?"

Eve glared. "I don't need your help." She crossed her arms firmly over her chest and averted her gaze to the farthest corner of the kitchen. Calvin had just continued to smile at her, which oddly made her heart flutter (not like she'd admit that), and he pulled out a chair at the table and took a seat, resting an arm on the back.

"Actually, I'm not that bad of a cook." Calvin mentioned, sounding pretty modest about the subject. Which was surprising to Eve, she even came a little closer and made eye contact with those lazy hazel orbs once again. "I've been through lots of cities and towns on this planet by myself. Naturally I'd learn a lot about cooking good food for myself."

"Yourself...?"

"Yeah, my most of my family is dead. Their deaths were extremely tragic too, unexpected by an incurable illness that runs in the blood. And everyone else doesn't even know I exist. But I'm faring well, I suppose."

Eve breathed and placed a hand on Calvin's shoulder. "That sounds rough." She opened her eyes and blushed faintly, noticing that she and Calvin were now very close in proximity. They just kind of stared into the very core of each others' eyes. This moment ended much too soon though, as the cold young woman shook her head and backed up. "Ugh, why I am I even talking to you? I need to be preparing the meal..."

Eve went around the room frantically, looking for the necessary dishes and ingredients to prepare the meal she decided. She tried desperately to rid her curiosity of the green-haired drifter's past, and stamp out the ever present faint blush on her cheeks at recalling how close they had gotten.

Despite having ignored his hints at having him help her prepare the meal, Calvin still sat there at the table and watched her. This time, the half-smile tugging at his lips wasn't forced like usual. There was something about watching her that he liked. If she wasn't so cold and didn't look like she hated the world, she would be very attractive. Yet, he still silently concluded she looked appealing enough anyway. Especially her eyes, when he had stared into them previously.

Calvin hoped that him and his new friends could help Eve. She may be acting like a cold bitch on the outside, but after hearing her story and seeing her quiver in terror at the sight of Spiked Silver, he knew that there was more to her underneath that outer facade. He could just sense this. Just like he had done with Vash...

**Continued.**

**[.]**

(Random) Ending A/N: Yes, so this chapter was very painfully short. I know. But it was necessary, because it reveals that Milly's got a little scheme; which is highly relevant to the plot, mind you.

I know that the next chapter should be longer. At this point, I am not really sure when I can get to finish writing it though. But I promise you all, it won't be too long. No one will be left hanging!

Read and review! :)


	6. We Can't Be Together, Can We?

A/N: I haven't forgotten about this story, everyone. I just needed to take a little break and decide how to continue yet. The ideas are returning and the gears in my head are turning. Finally, I give you the next chapter! Yes, there's going to be some slight VashxMeryl moments in this one. As the two finally meet up alone to 'talk' about what's going on between them. So, that makes up for the wait, right?

Comments are appreciated. Criticism is fine too, but going all-out and flaming insults for no true reason will be ignored. So bring it on. :)

Disclaimer: Trigun isn't mine. It will never be 'mine', so just get that through your thick skull already...

**[.]**

**A Different Kind of Love Story**

**Chapter Six: We Can't Be Together, Can We?**

**[.]**

A little bit of time had passed since heading out with Vash, Wolfwood, and Milly to search for Spiked Silver. Meryl had somehow gotten separated from them and had been wondering the city for a while, trying to find her way back to the hotel.

One problem with going out to so many cities and towns of Gunsmoke is that the landscapes can be confusing and losing sense of direction becomes quite easy. Especially if these places aren't very developed and contain few buildings and landmarks to help you. Meryl hadn't given up though, and as she wandered the city she found herself becoming lost in her thoughts after listening in on conversations between couples about the big event coming up with the celebration of the foundation of Ember Walls. A dance for couples included...

Oh, how a part of her was longing to be able to maybe attend that with Vash. If she could just have one romantic night with that complex man, it would make her life. And yet, she tried to stop these thoughts from entering her head and messing with her. There was no way that he would stay here long enough for her to be able to invite him. Once he can solve the problems with Eve and Spiked Silver, he will be be gone as quick as a gust of wind in the desert outskirts.

It was hopeless. Meryl _still_ couldn't get her mind off of him, no matter how hard she tried to tell herself logically that they could never be together. Their chances at being in a very close relationship was over before it could even begin. If her heart yearned for the man so badly, then she should have acted when she first realized she was in love with him. Not keep her innermost feelings buried deep down and pretend they never were here in the first place.

"_I won't be able to end up with him._" Meryl would always tell herself once her imagination would flutter over to the possibilities of her and Vash being in a relationship. "_Despite constantly saying I'm only chasing after him and making sure he stays out of trouble is because of my job. There's so much more to it than that. Vash is a very complicated person though, and he realizes this just as well as I do. So how could we ever...?_"

Little pieces of her heart would shatter as she would tell those things to herself. But Meryl knew it was the truth. Yet, she still couldn't forget about her feelings towards him. It was frustrating, to say the least.

Even as she found her way back to the hotel she was staying at temporarily, and was greeted by Milly and Wolfwood whom had just returned themselves, she still had these thoughts weighing her mind. And she only mumbled a barely-audible greeting back to them as she made her way through the first floor and up the winding wooden staircases to the next floor.

Getting lost in her thoughts about Vash, Meryl had almost not noticed that the check-in area was still in a state of chaos and looked like it was put through hell from the earlier experience. Seeing it didn't even spark an interest in shifting her thoughts over to Eve's problems. And it wasn't just because the insurance girl didn't particularly like the sharp-tongued young woman, mind you.

**[.]**

Returning back into his shared hotel with Wolfwood, Vash sighed aloud and slightly hit the door closed behind him with his foot. He was admittedly feeling tired and drained from trying to search for Spiked Silver. After separating from his friends, he had decided to go literally all over the city and he would watch the terrain like a hawk. Keeping the cruel man's appearance in mind and watching with keen eyes to see if any guy who matched his looks was passing by. But with all the travelers coming into the city from the sand steamers, it was a little bit of a challenge.

But it wasn't just Eve's situation that was weighing his mind. Although he felt a pang of sympathy for the poor young women, as her situation was very serious. There was one certain girl on his mind that always was invading his personal thoughts even when he didn't want her to be there. She was the reason that he was feeling so strange lately and honestly longed to be with her.

Meryl Stryfe.

Vash didn't know how it happened or why it did, but he had somehow...well...what is that phrase? Fallen for her. Every time their eyes would meet, he could feel this heart begin to race and anything on his mind that was bothering him and giving him agony (like his brother Knives), was forgotten. When he would leave her drift to another part of Gunsmoke, he could would feel this strange aching in his chest. And it would only settle once they were once again in contact with each other.

He wasn't sure if they could ever be together though. Technically, they were different. He is a Plant, she is a regular human. He would go on to live forever but her life would have to someday end. He did not try and pursue her because of the fact they were of different races, no it wasn't like that at all. He didn't see humans as unnecessary wastes of life that needed to be annihilated, or repulsive. It was just that he...he didn't think that a relationship could work out with the way their lives are at this point in time. And it didn't seem like it would ever get any easier.

It killed him to note this in his mind. It just didn't seem to be fair for him at all. Sad thing, is that life isn't fair and nothing will work out the way you want it to. If Vash could have fate work out, he would not have to wander every inch of Gunsmoke having to deal with Knives and Legato, and he could get to admit to Meryl that he thinks he's falling for her and wants them to be together.

Meryl's life shouldn't have to be thrown into turmoil just for him. She was young, attractive, and intelligent despite sometimes getting a little bit bitchy and overly-curious. Such qualities shouldn't be wasted. And besides, she probably didn't return his feelings if she never mentions it.

Vash wanted these thoughts to just leave his mind, he wanted to forget this. No matter what, he couldn't stop them from coming and it was just becoming irritating to the point of him walking over to his bed, placing his glasses over on the nightstand, and lying down onto the bed on his back with his head resting against the wall.

Light blue/green eyes stared up at the ceiling, before finally slowly closing after some hesitation. Vash breathed softly and slipped his arms behind his head. He knew that thinking about his situation with Meryl would only put more and more of a burden on him, and he didn't need any more. So he tried...to think back at some moments in his life when things weren't so full of tension and serious. Which wasn't very many moments, he sadly noted. The only ones were the times when he was younger and would spend time with both Rem and Knives as a family, and then that one time at that bar with...Meryl again.

**[.]**

_Despite getting on the drunk side, Vash was somehow still sober enough to realize that his date was getting to be really out of it. He tried to inch away from her, but she grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and pulled him close to her eye level. There was absolutely no distance between their faces, their noses and foreheads practically touching. Suddenly, for Vash, the building felt as if it were on freaking fire._

_"M-Meryl..." Meryl's eyes were filled with lust as she leaned back a little and put a slim, smooth finger to Vash's lips to silence him._

_"I feel like I really, really, really, kind of..." Meryl pulled away briefly to grab her half-full cup of beer and sloppily took a long swig. Afterward, she got back really close to the Humanoid Typhoon's face and giggled in a drunk manner. "I think I'm...hic...falling in love with 'ya!"_

_Vash just stared with widened eyes. Meryl giggled once again at this, and her hands slipped to the collar of his coat. The bartender and the now-kind-of-drunk Green-haired dude stared in the background as the radio started playing a fitting romantic, instrumental song._

_"You...you're...you're WHAT?" Vash managed to sputter out._

_Meryl knitted her eyebrows together. "Oh, just sssshut up and kiss me, you idiot!"_

_In a sudden and unexpected move, Meryl pulled Vash roughly closer to her and their lips crashed together in a matter of seconds. The bartender and the drunk green-haired man stared with widened eyes before wolf whistling._

_Hungrily, the drunken young woman kissed the infamous wanted man. And she didn't hold back anything. She had nipped his mouth and begged for entrance, which she didn't really get because Vash was so freakin' stunned to react. Vash, at first, just kind of stared with widened eyes and his face turned a lovely crimson shade of red. His mind was just racing, and his heart pounding at dangerous speeds._

**[.]**

Promptly, Vash could feel his cheeks begin to burn and his heart to once again begin pounding loudly against his chest. It's been a little bit of time since that...incident...had happened, and yet he couldn't forget it. It was forever imprinted into his mind and he didn't think at this point in time that he wouldn't be able to recall the events of the incident without feeling so bizarre. He sighed and reached for the nearby pillow on the bed, burying his face in the soft and freshly cleaned material.

This entire situation was just unbearable to have to live with. On one hand: Vash really wanted to be able to be with Meryl for as long as possible and be able to hold her and...well...you get the idea. But then on the other hand: he knew that they couldn't be together at this point in time. He wasn't finished with his goals placed before him yet, though he may never be in this lifetime. But you know what caused him the most grief? He couldn't decide whether Meryl should know that he feels so strongly or not. And that getting to go on at least one date with her that time was one of the best moments that he has experienced in a while and wanted more of them in his life. Which would only occur...if they could be a couple.

Gentle footsteps and then a few raps on the hotel room's door brought Vash from these thoughts. His ears were quick to hear it, and he could tell from the voice asking if anyone was in there was Meryl. This was just great, he noted as he tossed the pillow aside and pushed himself up into a sitting position on the wrinkled bed, she was coming to talk – probably to him – and he was in this state of what could only be logically and accurately described as _melancholy_. He felt wistful to speak with her, but he doubted that they should while he was feeling this way.

This was basically how he envisioned it would happen: he would mask this state of sadness by acting like everything was great and that he was just a big idiot goofing off in here, but Meryl would sense that something was seriously wrong and would confront him about it, and then he would have no choice but to drop the skillful act and try and bring himself to voice his thoughts about this whole thing and pain her. He would rather die than give her any more chaos in her life.

Vash got up off the bed and was suddenly overcome with the memory of when him and Meryl had gone out to that bar and got totally drunk. And she had...said that she loved him and got her point across with a bang by crushing her lips against his own and then him getting carried away and returning it with just as much emotion. By now, he wouldn't doubt it if his face was red enough to combust. "Vash, are you in there?"

"Uh...yes...just wait a minute!"

"Oh. Well, take your time."

Vash opened the door to the bathroom and stepped in, kicking it closed behind him. He made his way over to the bathroom mirror hanging on the wall and gazed at his reflection. He could easily see that his face was flushed deeply, which was why it felt so damn hot. Quickly, he shook his head and then flicked the tap. Cold water flowed out and poured down into the drain and he stuck his hands underneath and then splashed some onto his cheeks.

It helped cool them down a little bit. And he thought that he noticed the redness begin to wear away and grow fainter and less noticeable. Little sparkly droplets of water dripped and trailed down his face and finally died the minute they hit the sink drain. Vash turned the tap off and then gazed into the mirror at his reflection once again, this time just studying his overall appearance generally.

Why was he even letting himself fall for this woman more and more as time passes and days turn to nights, weeks into months? Not acting upon it only made things worse. He felt that he couldn't at least tell someone of his problems, because he doubted that any of these people would understand. Even if they did not understand, that doesn't mean that he thought it would be useless to tell them. So far the only ones he could open up to are Wolfwood and Milly. And possibly Calvin, seeing as the green-haired drifter seems to have taken an interest in him and Meryl's situation.

These thoughts were put to a pause when Vash's keen ears heard a few more raps on the door to the hotel room, and then it open up with a creak. "Vash, I'm coming inside."

"_She's oddly impatient. Must be important then..._" Vash reached for the nearby towel hanging on a wooden rack and rubbed it over his face to dry the water off. Afterward, he placed it down and examined his appearance one last time, brushing back a strand of his hair that had gotten damp and was falling flat over his forehead, he turned to leave the bathroom. "I'm coming."

Meryl gazed around the room with mock-interest. She kind of wandered around before finally noticing that she was standing by Wolfwood's bed. She shrugged her shoulders and took a seat delicately on the very edge as to not mess it up. And at that moment, the door to the bathroom opened and Vash stepped out and tried to great her casually as if nothing was on his mind, hoping that she couldn't tell he was somewhat nervous in her presence, she saw through it but chose to return the greeting nevertheless.

And then a long silence overcame them. Vash walked over and took a seat close to her, which the insurance girl had noticed and blushed faintly before glancing away. The words she had on the tip of her tongue to utter to break this silence died then and there.

"So...did any of you find Spiked Silver's location?" Vash finally asked quietly, keeping his gaze set on the floor and not at all on Meryl. She had noticed this as well, and was about to question why he was avoiding looking at her until she caught sight of a light red creep it's way to his cheeks and then spread to his ears. It was obvious that he had something else that he wanted to talk about, but wished to be nonchalant.

Might as well go with the flow of things, Meryl noted. "No, no progress at all. When we all got separated, I was wondering where you had gone. So, where did you go?" Meryl smiled a tiny bit and leaned forward and gazed at him from the side through the falling damp strands of blond hair that were resting at Vash's forehead.

"Just needed some time to think about something." Vash muttered, his eyes shifting to the side to see Meryl. They were pretty close in proximity at this moment, and it was a little uncomfortable. But yet, he felt like he didn't want to move away from her. He forced a smile and nodded. "No need to look at me like that, it's nothing gravely serious...it's just...well..."

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, Vash." Meryl insisted, now leaning back up and crossing her arms over her chest. She tried to not look at him, her gaze spontaneously flicked around until he spoke again.

"I was thinking about _you_."

Neither had noticed how much of an impact that reply had made until several seconds later when it clicked in their heads. They both flushed deeply and hotly, glancing at the other person briefly before self-consciously glancing anywhere else that they could find.

"Meryl-! I...I...it isn't like that at all!" Vash insisted, low tone cracking and a raising a pitch as he reached for her shoulders and turned her around as gently as he could manage to get her to look into his eyes. He wouldn't have doubted it if his face was just as red as his coat and he looked panicked, because he felt just as flustered and panicked as he looked. This time at least. "What I mean is...I was thinking about what had happened that one night when we met up in that last town! Remember? After what happened in the bar, I had brought you back to your inn room and then left a message for you-"

"And in the message," Meryl added for him, "You said that there is something you have to settle between us the next time we encounter."

"Yes..." Vash scratched his cheek, his eyes occasionally shifting to look at Meryl. "Milly, Calvin, that bartender, they all kept trying to imply that we...you know, where together. I wanted to tell you that you don't have to dwell on all of that stuff they said, it's not true anyway."

Why did hearing that last part make Meryl's heart begin to ache? She closed her eyes from this sudden pain and then finally said, "I know that, Vash. The only reason that we went to that bar together was to...um...I accepted the invitation because you seemed genuinely saddened when you got the impression I didn't want to."

"So you really _didn't_ want to?"

"No, no it isn't like that!" Meryl said a little bit too fast once again, her tone raising a pitch in her panic. Vash turned and gave her a puzzled look as she laughed nervously afterward and returned his gaze. "What I mean is...Vash, I wanted to."

"Well, ah, this is getting kind of awkward." Vash mentioned, hoping that this would at least change the subject a little bit. He almost grinned when he noticed Meryl give him an annoyed glare, but he held that back for some other time and then lied back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling.

Meryl heaved a sigh and then looked down at Vash, whom was looking up at her with those sparkly eyes of his and gesturing for her to lie down as well. She blushed faintly, but managed a smile and fell back onto her back with her hands folded over her abdomen. "And how will lying here on the bed with you make it any less awkward...?" She countered, turning her head and looking at him with a playful smirk tugging at her lips.

"Hey, you don't have to say it that way. It's not like there's anything sexual to this." Vash mentioned, unable to control the playful smile that was forming on his lips. And he was correct, this was actually comfortable. And being in such close proximity was surprisingly soothing.

And somehow, a small giggle arose from Meryl and she returned closed her eyes. For the next few seconds they lied there gazing up at the ceiling in silence, she had been given a break from thinking about this whole situation with Eve and Spiked Silver and about her own situation with falling in love with a man whom she didn't have a chance at being with. Whenever it was just the two of them, even if no words were exchanged, each moment felt so right. It would take every bit of her strength to not do something impulsive; like blurting out that she enjoyed it, or at least give him a peck on the lips.

It didn't matter how long they were there just doing absolutely nothing, just being there together was enough. In other words, these kind of moments meant a lot. Silently it killed the two of them to think that there wouldn't always last. And with the chaos that was happening on this planet, it wasn't likely they would be able to have much. With all the daily mayhem and excitement. And the never-ending chain of events that always bring Vash and Meryl together in some form or fashion no matter how crazy and outlandish it be.

Just because they had changed the subject, and Vash didn't really get to open up about what else was bothering him, he felt content with the moment anyway. He slipped his hands behind his head and closed his eyes, just enjoying being close to her.

What neither Vash and Meryl noticed, however, was the crack in the door to the hotel room. And the dark pair of eyes watching them. From the outside, this witness smirked and then silently closed the door fully, never once being detected.

'_I'll just let them have their moment, and maybe at dinner I'll tell them that I thought I saw Spiked Silver passing by the hotel._' Wolfwood thought to himself, lighting another cigarette as he walked down the halls of the hotel.

**[.]**

Elsewhere in Ember Walls, in a small bar, a tall man wearing silver clothing and spiked jewelry sat at the counter and threatened the bartender into giving him some beer for free. If that green-haired jackass that hadn't dared to pick a fight with him at the hotel when he went to collect his payment from Eve, then he wouldn't be sitting here exhausted and without a useable gun.

But he knew that he would never forget that encounter at all. He could be very hotheaded and quick to do drastic actions, but that was just his flaw, wasn't it? He knew this very well, but he couldn't help it. That green-haired man was much smaller than him and hadn't looked like he had even shot a bullet in his entire life, just as defenseless and pathetic as Eve, but he seemed to be extremely determined to protect her and sacrifice his own self to fulfill that. Well, Spiked Silver really didn't give a damn and chose to strangle the shit out of him.

That's when the back-up came running down the stairs and joined the party. A man wearing black clothing, a short woman with a small gun, a tall woman whom was quick to be shocked when she saw the green-haired man being harmed and Eve huddled in the corner crying her eyes out, and then another man with spiked blond hair and a red coat. Hmm, there was something strange about that last idiot.

He may have been acting like a complete fool at first, but he really had precise aiming and unbelievable agility and skills. And in all honesty, Spiked Silver was stunned to see that this guy was able to come out unscratched and actually find that old weak spot in his gun in such a short amount of time. If anything, that man could have not been human. No human could possibly...

"S-S-Sir, h-here's your drink..." Spiked Silver opened his eyes and shifted his head on his palm, looking at the trembling young woman placing his glass of beer on the counter. She was blonde and somewhat chubby, dressed in a simple light green dress with an apron.

"What happened to that other man that was here earlier?"

"H-he's...he's on b-b-break..."

"Can you stop that goddamn annoying stuttering?"

"Ah! Sorry, sorry!" The young woman backed up, her eyes widening in fear.

Talking to her was useless, so the criminal just grunted at her apology and then chugged down the beer. Yet he couldn't stop thinking about that fight with the man clad in the road coat, there was just something not right at all about that. But, he slammed the empty cup down on the counter loudly and demanded another from the terrified woman; whom just nodded frantically and did as she was told. He loved using intimidation on these pathetic people that were left in this run-down city.

Damn it, and talk about run-down: Spiked Silver shifted his eyes and glanced at the small little bar's scratched brown walls of stone, it's dusty wooden flooring, the old and sturdy counter with at least four stools positioned at it, and there were at least six other tables and two were occupied, there was a backdoor that was probably a storage room for the alcohol and regular drinks as well as the food, and there were nondescript paintings and plants around to give the place at least a little bit of decoration. Still, this place sure was plain and dull. It was no wonder why the sand steamers coming in around this time were carrying many people with supplies and whatnot from the bigger and more developed cities. It wouldn't be too much longer before this place fell to the ground.

Staying here probably wasn't a good idea with the bounty hunters passing through. But what could he do? Him and Eve weren't getting any younger, and she was getting pretty attractive if she would wipe that usual sulky look off her face. There was no way that her and her father could ever give him the payment that he still longed for. And he didn't know why they just gave up and he take the pretty lass for his own needs (read: more like _wants_).

"So have you heard the rumors?" Spiked Silver's ears easily heard this comment. He turned and looked over at one of the tables at the corner where two men sat at eating some kind of odd-looking stew. They had to be at least in their forties and were dressed shabbily in just plain shirts and overalls. He was particularly interested in their conversing and decided to eavesdrop discreetly.

"What rumors?" The second man echoed, pushing up the tip of his hat and revealing his big, sparkling blue eyes. "I don't really get out much since the plants we've been growing have dried up from this heat wave, been spendin' time just planting them in pots in the window and watering twice a week."

The first man sighed heavily and now seemed to be a little tense as he explained, "Don't freak out when you hear this, but I've heard rumors that the Humanoid Typhoon, Vash The Stampede is here in _this_ city. Hmmph, it wouldn't be the first time that an infamous outlaw like him has drifted through these parts, however," The man paused and reached into his pocket, pulling out a handkerchief and wiping his brow. "It's really makin' me nervous, I'll tell you that."

"Yeah, he's a walking disaster! He's done so much damage to several other places on this planet! Oh goddamn it," The second man loudly hit his fist against the table, his bowl of steaming stew fell off the side and to the floor beside him from the impact. "We're all gonna be doomed! Ember Walls already has had far enough damage to it, and we don't need any more!"

"Hey, just calm down. Freaking out never gets you anywhere."

"But aren't you just as distressed as I am about this? We don't even know what the hell he looks like, so Vash The Stampede could easily blend in and strike like a snake. Urgh, I sense this ain't gonna well at all!"

Spiked Silver's eyes narrowed a little ways as he overheard this conversation between the two men. Something an evil little smirk twisted onto his lips as he came to a realization.

**Continued.**

**[.]**

It's been about, oh, twenty days since the last update. _ I'm sorry about being so late, I really am. Hopefully this chapter was satisfying in the end and makes you stop pointing the guns at me. And you know what? I still have lots of ideas for this story, and I'm sure that I have everything sorted out the way I want it to be. So far, I'm pretty organized and can see how exactly this story will go and what twists it will take. Isn't it just great? *Insert insane clapping and whooping here* Hopefully I'll be able to update soon, there's just a few other chapters that still need to be complete before though.

_**Next Chapter: The gang prepares for dinner and all gather around the table to eat. But there's so much tension in the air; Vash is constantly trying to avoid Meryl's gaze, Meryl is silent, Wolfwood can't make conversation, Milly is inwardly letting out her happiness about her plan, Eve is feeling a little under the weather, and Calvin just wants everyone to get along. Meanwhile, Spiked Silver is out and about trying to find a place in the city that will be able to repair his gun.**_

_**Following Chapter: Milly puts her plan into action, but things don't go the way that she expected them to when Spiked Silver enters the picture once again and stirs up trouble. And meanwhile, Calvin looks after and tries to heal a sick Eve.**_

Read and review!


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: I know that this chapter may not seem like much, but it is relevant to the story. At least there are some small VashxMeryl, WolfwoodxMilly, and perhaps one-sided CalvinxEve moments in this one, am I right?

Sit back, relax, and enjoy the chapter! And before you leave, there's a question on my ending A/N that I would like you to answer honestly for me in your review. Okay, now see you at the end. n.n

Disclaimer: Trigun is an anime/manga series that does not, never has, and never will be something that I "own". I'm just a fan that is sadly looking at the piled up manga volumes and DVDs on the shelves, wishing it could be mine.

**[.]**

**A Different Kind of Love Story**

**Chapter 7**

**[.]**

The rest of the afternoon was an uneventful blur for everyone back at the hotel, and it was pretty dark outside before they knew it. There weren't many customers at this particular hotel and it didn't get much business despite being admittedly the most affordable. A young brunette woman with an ever-present sulky look on her features straightened her apron and then hoisted up the large pot of soup that had been cooking on the stove. It should be ready by now to serve now that all of the ingredients had the chance to simmer and bathe in the seasonings and spices.

Readily at her side, a man with abnormal green hair wearing this ever-present lazy expression flashed his trademark half-smile as he watched her. He had offered to help her cook the meal, but she was a stubborn one and insisted to him that she could handle it. So he watched her much interest the entire time; providing tips about how long to leave it to cook and what spices and seasonings to include to the mix. Having traveled over a lot of this planet, Calvin knew a lot about cooking and was always willing to share helpful tips. Even if the person receiving them acted like Eve and...coldly brushed them off.

Watching her made him come to the realization that she seemed to be a little under the weather at this time. His lazy, hazel eyes would always catch her shiver despite the hotel being almost as warm as the outside, quietly sneeze and sniffle when she was a reasonable distance away from the food, and see her eyes become watery and the bags form underneath them as the time passed. But he wasn't sure how to bring it up that she looked sickly.

So he stayed silent the entire time.

He couldn't help it, he was worried about Eve. And once she turned around to face him while carrying the pot with difficulty in her trembling hands, he raised a hand to her forehead.

"What the hell are you doing?" Eve demanded, her tone stripped of any emotion. And the green-haired drifter could detect the weakness in it. "Can you just keep your filthy hands to yourself?"

"You're ill." Calvin concluded knowingly, a worried look flashing over his features as he removed his hand. "Hey, maybe you shouldn't be trying to work like this. It's not going to make you any better, Eve."

Eve wasn't the least bit flattered by his concern, she just found it to be annoying and unnecessary. And she waved a dismissive hand before walking into the next room and placing the heavy pot on the large table. She hoped that he would have gotten the hint to stop being so worried her when she was not happy with it.

Calvin was not a man that gave up easily. He just popped right back up at her side and informed her that he was worried about her and he knew that she would have to go lie down somewhere and not stress herself any more – since all of this drama with Spiked Silver was apparently getting under her skin now that it had been brought up.

Eve, although secretly touched by his concern somewhere deep down, just brushed him off and turned away from him. "I don't need you worrying about me. Besides, you're probably only doing this to get some. I won't let myself be fooled."

"What are you talking about?" Calvin asked in shock, his expression really showing how utterly lost he was at the moment by all that Eve was saying. "I really am concerned about you, Eve! I'm not just trying to flatter you so that I can get you into bed, honest!"

"Well," Eve sniffed, brushing back her curls and turning to leave. "I honestly don't want your concern, Calvin. If you want to be helpful: take this spoon and stir the steam from the soup so that it'll cool." She placed a wooden spoon in his hands and gave him a meaningless smirk as she took her leave.

The green-haired drifter just stood there with the spoon and stared with a blank expression for a few seconds, but he knew that she would be angry should he not help and cool the steaming soup. With a sigh, he turned and submerged the utensil into the liquid and stirred slowly and strongly. Watching as these puffs of steam left and vanished in a brief instant.

A half-smile tugged at his lips anyway, and his cheeks began to feel a little bit more hotter; not just because of the hot steam leaving the pot. Maybe this was because of his thoughts wandering over to that stubborn and supposedly-emotionless woman. There was just _something_ about her that appealed to him and made her more interestingly complicated in comparison to other women he had fallen for in the past.

**[.]**

"Nnn...ahh...what's going on..." Meryl mumbled sleepily as she lifted herself up from the bed she was lying on. She didn't know what was happening or how she had ended up on the bed asleep. All that she knew was that she had came to speak with Vash, and then they lied there together on Wolfwood's bed, just content with the moment and letting themselves get lost within their own thought.

But obviously, she must have been so tired from her lack of sleep the previous several nights and then all the excitement she had experienced that day. She knew that it must be late in the night because she can see the darkness from the window. As well as the two full moons high in the sky. She sat up and brushed through her tousled hair, confused when she noticed that Vash was nowhere in sight.

"Vash...?" Meryl called out, rubbing her eyes and then getting off of the bed. She gazed around and walked to the middle of the room, knitting her brows together and putting her hands on her hips. "Vash, where are you?"

She sighed under her breath and walked into the bathroom. Thinking that maybe she would find him there. Once arriving, she checked all over the room, yet there was no trace of him. It was as if the man just up and left the face of the planet. But this assumption was just silly; he had to be somewhere. But where, she would just have to discover herself.

When the insurance girl left the bathroom and went back to her starting place, she took a better look at the nightstand by Vash's bed and noticed that his gun was not there; but it had been lying there innocently just before she had fallen asleep. This was strange for Meryl to try and piece together. Because she knew that he had been lying with her while she dozed off. And if he were to get up, she would have certainly felt his movements, or at least hear a brief creak in the bed. But she hadn't either.

Oh well. At least they had gotten to talk a little bit. However, there still was so much more that she needed to admit to him. Vash had only gotten the gist before everything got so calming and silent...enough for her to ease her tense muscles and get a little bit of sleep after all this time. And sleeping next to him was rather comfortable. She knew that, because she had vaguely felt her body involuntarily sneak closer to Vash and her head rest against his hard chest. Now it just felt a little awkward to think about it and it made her blush.

Well, if Vash had left, it probably be a good idea to look for him. That was how Meryl saw it. She turned and then made her way to the door. Just as she had opened it, she was surprised to see Vash about to step in as well. They both gasped in shock, but were quick to collect themselves.

Getting a good look at Vash, Meryl noticed that his hair was tousled a little and his clothes were wrinkled. She almost decided to be impulsive and ask where he had sneaked off to, but held back. "Oh, you're awake."

"Yes...I'm awake." A light blush rose into Meryl's cheeks and she forced a nervous laugh. "I was just so comfortable earlier that I must have fallen asleep. After all, I don't get much good sleep anymore."

"It's fine. I was tired too." Vash said through nervous laughter. He had considered adding that dozing off by her side was actually very comfortable and felt very right. He was not sure how to word it and held back.

"From all the traveling?" Meryl suggested, closing the door and flashing him a brief smile.

'_I can't tell her that it's because of her that I can't sleep. Damn._' "Maybe."

"I hear you. Coming to Ember Walls was exhausting for me and Milly..." Meryl rambled, she didn't know why she was trying to be so casual. But it just was not working. And somehow, they both knew this.

Thankfully, before any more words could be exchanged, Milly appeared from the top of the winding stairs and almost skipped down the hall to Vash and Meryl. There was this oblivious smile across her features as she informed them that Eve was finished preparing dinner and that it was time to eat. She didn't even once notice the fact that the two of them had tousled hair and wrinkled clothes.

Or, if she did, Milly just did not feel like making any certain assumptions. Because even she knew when to not cross the line.

**[.]**

Elsewhere in Ember Walls, a tall and rather intimidating man dressed in silver clothing roamed the layout underneath the moonlight overhead. He didn't have to worry about having to deal with any bustling people among the streets because they were all most likely fast asleep back at their homes or at the late-night bars and saloons.

Most of the shops would probably be closed at this hour, but that didn't stop Spiked Silver from striding up to a little one around the corner that repaired damaged or generally unusable guns. He had confidence in his intimidation talents to get what he desired. There was another man who was...an old acquaintance of his that had the skills to repair just about any gun on this planet. At least, that was how most of the rumors went. Spiked Silver had personally dealt with him before, and had seen him in action, so he knew that these were no tall tales.

The shop he was searching for had this shady feeling about it when underneath the blanket of natural darkness and mysterious moonlight streaming down overhead. It looked no different from the others, but Spiked Silver knew that this was the one he was searching for. It was his first time actually visiting the place, for he had only heard those distant and hardly trust-worthy rumors of the place and the certain man whom made and repaired guns.

A tiny bell on the door hardly made a ding from the rust that bound it to the surface. The man dressed in silver entered the building and strode right up to the counter, looking at the back of another male just a few inches shorter than him whom was polishing a gun in his hands.

"Hey, you still open?" The other man turned and his slightly-slanted icy blue eyes met Spiked Silver's. An questionable smirk tugged at his parted lips.

"Seeing as though it's you, I could make an exception to the time frame I came up with for the place." He brushed back his shoulder-length sandy blonde hair and adjusted his glasses. "I haven't seen your face in two years now. What kept 'ya so long? Still too full of sexual tension for Miss Eve that you had to lock yourself up from the world?" The mysterious man's words were cold, yet filled with sarcasm. And he chuckled dryly at this, but it only angered Spiked Silver and made him slam his hands down on the wooden counter.

"Shut up! I'll have you know that I've been working my ass off these two years in a distant city on this damn planet!" Spiked Silver defended angrily, his cheeks beginning to warm rapidly from both the rage and embarrassment.

"Don't yell at me, it isn't my fault that you've got such a terrible life." The sandy blond-haired man murmured mock-sadly as he placed the gun he had been shining back on the counter. "And for the love of God, just control that temper of yours! You would have to pay me one hell of a bill if you broke the nearby shelf and all of my custom-made, fragile guns crashed to the floor in pieces!"

"You're the one always hitting a nerve!" Spiked Silver huffed and leaned back up, folding his arms across his chest and turning to look away from the source of his rage. If there was one thing about this guy that pissed him off the most, it was his constant reminding him that he could never win Eve.

Sure, there was an age difference between them. Sure, the chances of them ever being able to be together was minimum at best, and yes, she was not willing to comply even to this day. But he couldn't stop himself from having this burning desire for her. He just didn't know whether it was just for sexual satisfaction or because his cruel heart actually had a bit of a soft spot for her. He didn't want to think that it was the latter theory; he refused to think that someone like him would weaken to the power of love. It was just degrading.

Besides. Maybe he had a little addiction to sex. There was countless times when he would charm a female that caught his eye and dupe her into intimacy at least once for the rush, the thrill, the dominance, it was only a natural part of life – he couldn't control his instincts or desires. He never once felt any honest love for the women. Not at all. And was gone like the desert wind once the sun rose in the sky. At first, he assumed that Eve would just be another to be played with and then deserted. But this would be different, he noticed quickly, as she was younger – yet of maturity technically – and unwilling to comply. That would be considered rape.

Despite this unexplainable addiction to sex, the man didn't approve of rape. All the women before were willing; they even stated that themselves before the clothes hit the floor and everything else afterward was a passionate blur. He was truly a cold man. But he...he...he just couldn't stomach rape. He hadn't ever been a victim of it before, and yet he sympathized with anyone else that was forced to live with that horrible scar every day of their lives.

Sympathy. Damn sympathy.

"There is no need to do anything drastic in my shop." oh yes, he was still confronting the shady man about his destroyed gun. Spiked Silver turned and gave him an aggravated look. "I sense that you came here originally because you need some repair services?"

"It's humiliating as hell, but yes." He grudgingly reached into the bag slung over his muscular shoulder and then dumped it's contents onto the shelf. The sandy blond-haired man quirked a thin eyebrow at this as he studied the pieces. "Got into a fight with some dumbass in a red coat and spiked blond hair. He had two ladies and a priest with him, but the others were obviously unable to fight and took cover. But there was something not right about that guy...something..."

"For once, this story sounds like it will be decent." The blond man nodded approvingly and brushed over the shattered pieces that were the only remains of his so called 'friends' gun. "Go on."

"There's nothin' left to say. The asshole destroyed my gun and he did it so _easily_!" Spiked Silver spat, anger now flaring in his eyes. "Even an expert gunman couldn't possibly...there's just no way! I'm telling you, this man could not be human!"

"What else would he be?" The other man argued firmly, wearing this un-amused stoic face that was almost permanent as he used it so much. "We humans are the only race that occupy the planet."

"I don't think so." Spiked Silver gazed up at the low ceiling, his eyes almost sparkling with thought. "Judging by how we humans are still surviving this long on this living Hell of a planet, water and food is available, and then that asshole I encountered with his strange abilities and strategies...there may be some other kinds of races out there. Some that maybe we couldn't even begin to understand."

**[.]**

"_I feel like I can't even begin to understand this man. His motives for doing things, it just feels so strange to me._" Eve reflected as she took a curious look at a passing Vash. He had come down earlier and offered to help her serve the food because she was looking pale and tired when he first saw her.

And ever since she first laid her own eyes on him, she's felt like there was something about him that she would never be able to understand. She hadn't the idea why he was acting suspiciously or why that woman, Meryl, was trying so hard to defend him at every opportunity as if she hated to see other people put him down.

Oh well, things were just so stressful at the time being. It wasn't good for everyone to worry, and a simple meal where they could relax and dwell into lighter conversation was the ideal thing to do. Everyone gathered to the table, with the meal already served into bowls.

They were going to be eating some kind of stew that was prepared with fresh meat and vegetables, simmered nicely together. Calvin was trying not to come right out and brag about how he gave some tips that he had picked up to Eve and slipped in pinches of various spices that he had with him on hand. He didn't like bragging, but he had no control over the urge to do so. At the moment, he just wished for everyone to put the past behind them and get along. To maybe even become something of pals.

As he surveyed the way that his new-found companions were behaving, he realized very soon that this was just wishful thinking. Putting the past behind a person is generally a tough thing to do, he knew that with his experience of having his family and friends die and his first true love cruelly dump him. He himself could only find relief in drinking away the sadness and stress. A habit that he confided to Milly and Wolfwood earlier that day after waking up from the trauma Spiked Silver put him through, that he would do his best to overcome.

With the stew served in the bowls now, sitting there cooling a little ways, everyone returned to the table and began to sit down to eat. In the following order: Milly sat by Calvin, whom at by Vash, whom sat by Meryl. On the other side: it was Wolfwood and Eve.

It wasn't until he lifted his spoon and was about to plunge it into the bowl, did Wolfwood become observant to the unmistakable tension in the air between everyone. Although he didn't voice his concern, he could tell that Eve beside him was looking pale and was shivering despite the room being warm. Vash and Meryl kept looking at each other out of the corners of their eyes; blushing faintly and gazing everywhere else once making contact directly, Milly was smiling suspiciously as she stirred her stew, and Calvin appeared to be looking at everyone and silently sighing.

Finally, he couldn't take it anymore. Wolfwood placed down his fork and sighed somewhat. "Aw, I forgot to get something to drink before I sat down. I'm going to go get some water from the kitchen."

"No, just sit right there, Wolfwood." Eve said, her voice sounding awfully lower than usual as she turned and arose from her seat. "It's my job to provide guests here with their needs."

"That's alright." Wolfwood insisted, looking up at her now. "I need to get away from this tension for at least a few seconds anyway; it's killing me."

"But I-"

"Don't worry about it, Eve." Vash chimed in, offering the young woman a reassuring smile. "You're looking kind of pale, not to mention you've been through a lot of hell today."

There was something about Vash's words, something that made Eve change her mind. She was not sure why, but she shrugged her shoulders and took a seat once again. Honestly though, she felt like these two guys were just trying to make her feel like she didn't have to push herself after witnessing traumatic images earlier.

Which seemed degrading to her. She hated it when others saw through her tough facade that she put on every day and understood clearly that she was not strong and was easily scarred by terrible images.

"Hmmph." She finally grudgingly sat back down and crossed her arms.

Wolfwood decided to take his leave after that. He couldn't stand all of this tension in the air, it was just annoying. For a brief moment, he wondered why he even bothered strolling into this city after the motorcycle broke down; he could have easily walked a little bit farther to some hole-in-the-wall town anyway.

Vash glanced back at Eve grudgingly shutting up and eating, Calvin talking to mostly no one; insisting that they really need to put their differences aside and get along, Milly smiling as she happily ate the stew, and Meryl nervously trying to avoid eye contact with him as she stirred the steam from her stew. He sighed inwardly; it seemed like this was not going to be a peaceful stay in this city.

He had no other choice but to remain here for at least a little while though. He was positive that the certain man he was searching for must be here lurking around, or at least was. When giving the description off his appearance to strangers, he was sure that he was going in the right place.

He finally just tried to push away these thoughts as he dipped his own into the bowl of stew, ready to finally get some food. Just thinking about these negative things would only make the mood worse. He decided to just think about it later.

But Vash was unaware of the impending chaos coming their way very soon.

**Continued.**

**[.]**

Impending chaos is coming! Sorry Milly, but your plan to finally get Vash and Meryl together may get held off for a little bit until things get settled down.

I have a question for you readers, and I'd appreciate it if you honestly answer it in your review: My question is...do you think that I should make things even more complex than they were now by adding in Legato and Knives? I was considering doing that, because it would maybe aid in adding to the drama and serious mood. But I don't know yet if I will...so your thoughts?

_**Next Chapter: Milly puts her plan into action, but things don't go the way that she expected them to when Spiked Silver enters the picture again and stirs up trouble. And meanwhile, Calvin looks after and tries to heal a sick Eve (awww).**_

_**Following Chapter: Turns out that Spiked Silver's motives don't all revolve around Eve; he also has a desire to collect the bounty of Vash The Stampede and now that he realizes the man he battled before is him, he instigates another. Will Vash be able to escape this crazy man?**_

Read and review.


	8. Another Chaotic Morning

**A/N: Damn, it's been a little while since the last update. Forgive me, I just had several other fics and chapters to write and I also lost the motivation to continue writing the next chapter after getting hit by writer's block like a train wreck. -_-**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Trigun...maybe this is a good thing. Because I would end up soiling the awesome-ness if I ever got my hands on it...**

**~MidnightSakuraBlossom**

**[.]**

**A Different Kind of Love Story**

**Chapter 8: Another Chaotic Morning**

**[.]**

"Damn it," Meryl growled under her breath as she surveyed the small pile of paperwork that she had attempted to write up the previous night in the early morning hours after she couldn't go back to sleep. "Why did I have to fall asleep and leave this unfinished? Now I'm going to be so far behind, Vash is confusing the hell out of me, Eve and Spiked Silver's stories are getting shadier and shadier, and Milly keeps insisting I stay in this city long enough to attend that dance with Vash!"

Her ranting was cut short when she began to yawn loudly and stretch her tingly arms high above her head. Meryl hadn't gotten the chance to sleep comfortably in bed and decided to get an early start on the status report for the company. But then she didn't finish three pages before she fell asleep write on the table underneath the rest of the night.

These days, she couldn't sleep well. Whether it be work or Vash dominating her mind...or perhaps the occasional combination of both, the stress was taking it's toll on her body and she knew it wasn't healthy for her when she was meant to be alert and ready to take action should something go wrong.

She sighed, annoyed with herself. And weakly, she arose from the perfectly carved from wood. Meryl went across the room to the windows and pulled back the pale green curtains. The two suns were just about high in the horizon and cast a bright glow over the run down city of Ember Walls. What few citizens remained were making their way through to start the day and travelers were passing by with their luggage.

"Goood moooorning~!" Meryl gasped and spun around on the heels of her feet, she her eyes were wide and she clutched her heart in shock from the cheery greeting of Milly.

"M-Milly!" The taller girl laughed nervously and rubbed the back of her neck, not meaning to give her friend a heart attack with the little greeting. Her long brunette hair was sticking out in several places and she still wore her pajamas, she must have just rolled out of bed. "Don't scare me like that..."

"Sorry, sorry." Milly's smile faded and her brows furrowed together as a look of concern made it's way to her features. "Did you sleep well last night, Meryl? It looks like bags are trying to form underneath your eyes."

"I...I couldn't sleep. And since we managed to track down Vash and there was some mild destruction to the hotel...I decided to get started on the report."

"Oh?"

"Yeah." Meryl turned back to the window and smiled somewhat at seeing a couple pass by with their little boy, and other various people gather to chat. She was glad that they could remain happy even if times in this city were getting tough. "Well, we shouldn't stay around here at the hotel for too long. Vash is probably out and about and we need to stay hot on his heels if we're going to make sure no more destruction takes place, right?"

"Um...yes..." Milly murmured, she was silent momentarily as she thought about how she could initiate her little plan. Vash and Wolfwood were both possibly out and about already, so the plan couldn't begin at this time.

She couldn't let herself get brought down by this. Possibly, Calvin was still around to get help from; last night, he had mentioned to everyone out of Eve's earshot that he was worried about her condition (he wouldn't state his reasons, oddly) and would be keeping a close eye on her during the time that he would be staying in the city. Seeing as though the man's a drifter, he could be gone by afternoon. By the next hot breeze that passes in the atmosphere.

Which is why Milly had to watch him closely. He seemed to be a decent guy and a good ally in these complicated matters at hand. And best of all: he gave her hints that he, himself, was interested in Vash and Meryl's situation. So maybe it wouldn't be difficult to befriend him after all. Once they exchanged their motives.

But Milly put these thoughts on pause for the time being. She gave Meryl a usual little smile and reminded her, after she started looking a bit spaced out, that they should be getting dressed and ready. So that they could go into the city and scout for Vash.

Meryl said nothing, she only nodded in agreement to the suggestion.

**[.]**

"Okay...we have about six guests here so far." Murmured Eve as she opened the old, wooden kitchen cabinets looking for the ingredients she would be needing to make a decent breakfast for the guests. If they didn't want to eat it, they didn't have to. But she knew fully well that some people she came across found her cooking tolerable. "That green-haired man, Calvin, he gave me a good recipe I could use today. Now where's that spice at in this damn cabinet...?"

She raised her hands and they traveled just about ever inch of the cabinets. This specific spice that she needed for the dish was hard to come by on the planet, and locating it was a challenge. But she remembered vaguely buying the last jar of it at a shop a month ago. Now where was it...?

She scowled, annoyed by the fact she couldn't locate what she needed. She was under so much stress recently: with the fact Spiked Silver was back in the city and determined to get his payment, Calvin's irritating attempts at flirting, and the fact she's been feeling weak and sickly lately...she just was so worn out from everything.

Before she could pull aside over non-important ingredients, Eve felt a shiver go down her spine. It was horrible and almost felt like a stab at first. She shivered and her teeth that were clenched were beginning to chatter. She finally just sucked it up and brought her arms back to her chest and hugged herself. There was no way that she could be catching an illness at a time like this! Not _again_!

"You okay, Eve?" Oh God, now _that voice_ again. Eve managed a sigh at least, turning to see a silent Calvin standing a short distance away eyeing her in confusion.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Eve shivered, but then tensed up instinctively when she felt smooth, warm fingers delicately trace around her abnormally freezing cheeks. "H-hey, don't touch like that! It's bad enough that you humiliated me last night by hoisting me in your arms and taking me to my bedroom as if we had just gotten married!"

"I did it because you were really looking sick and frail at dinner." Calvin reminded her, looking deeply concerned as he came closer and his hand gently retreated from her ice cold cheeks – which wasn't a good sign considering the overall warm climate of this planet. "Even now, you don't look healthy. No one really stays to eat at these hotels, so you shouldn't worry about cooking. Just go back to bed and I'll help clean up the place."

"As tempting as your offer is..." Eve turned and began to pace the floor of the kitchen. It was apparent to an observant Calvin that she was looking tired and ill, but she wouldn't listen to his concern. "Humph, I can't stay in bed all day because there could be travelers coming in to stay. And I've been cleaning all these years at this place so it's just a habit I can't fight back. Besides, Spiked Silver may burst in and I wouldn't want innocent people getting hurt in the path of his destruction"

Not that guy again. Honestly, Calvin wished that he could just forget that this 'Spiked Silver' even existed. He seemed like such a bastard that just couldn't take a firm and unwavering no for an answer. Why couldn't he just get over the past? And why is he so bent on getting Eve for himself?

The green-haired drifter sighed deeply, walking over to Eve, he grabbed her shoulders and made sure to stare right into her eyes. She could only look up and blink in confusion at his actions. "Eve, Spiked Silver won't be getting his filthy hands on you as long as I'm around. I may not know how to handle a gun, but I would do anything to save you."

"That's quite the declaration." Eve's eyebrows furrowed together and just on cue, that same impassive look crept upon her face. She couldn't even believe this nonsense that Calvin was rambling about; he wouldn't be able to save her, not even with the help of his other friends; that man in the red coat and those two women from the insurance society. "However...I have no faith in you whatsoever."

Calvin gave her a half smile, how typical of him. "That will all change in time. But right now," Much to her shock, anger, and humiliation, Calvin once again lifted her up bridal-style as she snapped vulgar protests. "You're going to go stay in bed and relax until you're well again. Meanwhile, I'll be checking up on you."

"You're such a perverted jackass...!"

**[.]**

Ember Walls particularly didn't look any different as it had the previous day. It still maintained a rustic, somewhat run-down appearance and not many people were seen wondering through. Most of the people were men doing some work or going into the local bars and saloon, women chatting or cleaning up the homes, and a few children running and playing.

Sandsteamers could be heard incoming and some people that were in better looking shape – not as dirty or plain – were coming and going a little bit. And then there were some occasional un-trustworthy men passing by giving Meryl and Milly long glances that they both tried to ignore as much as possible and not reveal they were disgusted. Those men probably were some desperate perverts or outlaws trying to blend in and hide from the man. Ugh. As if this city needed any more trouble...

The twosome weren't sure where they were to go. Their job now was to keep up with Vash, but he wasn't anywhere in sight and it was quite strange...wouldn't he be causing some sort of trouble by now?

While Meryl remained silent and thoughtful as her dark eyes scanned the city, Milly hummed softly to herself because she was feeling positive that her plan was going to work well; she had encountered Wolfwood before leaving the hotel and they agreed to talk to Vash and Meryl to make an attempt to get this plan in action.

It was interesting how even Wolfwood was revealing he wanted something to be done to their relationship. Milly assumed that the likely scenario is that he's sick and tired of seeing them both trying to deny that they're obviously falling for the other. And the man just didn't want to admit his interest. But that was okay; she thought it was sort of cute.

If Vash and Meryl were to get together, they would both be happy for a change. Even if she and Wolfwood didn't mention it to anyone, they both could just sense when around those two that they weren't at all feeling content with their lives. Of course, this was understandable to a limit. Seeing as though Vash had such a complex life and Meryl doesn't want to believe she's hopelessly falling for someone with that sort of life.

And on top of all this tension between Vash and Meryl, the group felt like they should take action and provide some help for Eve. Her situation with that furious man dressed in silver seemed so far in the dark and they weren't sure what to make of it. But due to Calvin's obvious worry wearing off on them...

Ugh. Why must these things happen every damn time they travel to another part of the planet? Could things never be peaceful and calm? Apparently; not.

There was a comfortable silence between the girls as they wandered the town. But Milly knew her plan must be carried out as soon as possible: before Spiked Silver entered the picture once again and caused chaos and more drama. So, she put on a smile to not appear suspicious and glanced over at Meryl. "Hey, Meryl," Meryl once again snapped back to reality after getting lost in her thoughts, and looked up at Milly. "I was wondering..."

"About what?"

"Hm, well, I was wondering...what do you really think of Vash?" That was when a dark, hot blush began to explode over Meryl's surprised face. And Milly had to fight her smile back from broadening.

"Vash...?" Meryl stopped walking, crossed her arms and chuckled in an obviously panicked way. She didn't know how to react to a sudden question like that, if it isn't apparent by now. "Milly, why are you...saying this so suddenly? C-come on, you know what I think of him."

Oh, this was getting good now. Milly really didn't know what Meryl _truly_ thought of Vash; and that was why she needed the truth to come out right here and right now. She stopped walking herself and assumed a thoughtful position.

"For the longest time, I've been watching how you act whenever around him, you know. But still...I think that there's some other feelings you have and don't want to admit it."

"There's no other feelings!" Meryl defended, her voice was raising a bit in her surprise. And neither seemed to care that they were out in the middle of the city where spectators could easily overhear it all. She didn't know why she was being so defensive and quick to anger so suddenly. "L-look, I just know that he's a really nuisance to the society and he's very annoying with his antics! There's no way that I could fall for a man like that in this lifetime..."

Oh really? There was no way that she would fall for Vash in this lifetime? Then why was she kissing him that night at the bar when they were all in that small town whose name escapes her? And why did Meryl fake needing a glass of water after her hangover to get Milly out of the room and then commenting about how she could still feel the tingling sensation in her lips from the final kiss of the evening? It didn't make any sense at all.

Milly knew better. But at this point, there was no way that she could get Meryl to stop denying that she was head over heels for Vash and just couldn't accept that. So while the other girl stared at her furiously, Milly shook her head wordlessly and decided to let the topic go.

However, she insisted to herself that she would once again being up the topic later.

Once again, the girls went on with their investigation. It seemed that Vash may as well have disappeared off the face of the planet, because he was nowhere in sight. They even checked the saloons, bars, restaurants, anywhere that they expected him to be.

Their search was all in vain...again.

And, exhausted, Meryl and Milly collapsed onto a bench outside of the last saloon they checked. Both trying to cool off and try to rest their aching feet. The latter was basically hanging off the bench and clinging to it for life, while the latter was sitting upright and fanning herself with her hand.

"Oh God, I can't keep this up..." Meryl waited a long time before talking again, her screwed shut eyes opened and she looked up at Milly pathetically. "Milly, where could that man have gone? I'm sure if he was leaving the city, he would have had to leave behind some sort of trace or let us know in one of his weird ways..."

"I don't know where he could have gone..." Milly coughed and slouched on the bench, she was beginning to get discouraged by the pointless scouting as well. "What should we do?"

"In this situation, we could either head back to the inn and check his room, look for either Wolfwood or Calvin and interrogate them, or we could abort everything." Milly nodded quietly. "So, I don't know about you, but I refuse to abort everything. We should either continue the search ourselves, or get help by either Wolfwood or Calvin."

Milly stood back up and then helped Meryl to her feet. "Maybe we should ask one of the two for help. Wolfwood always seems to have a good idea about where Vash is, and Calvin claims that if there's only one thing he's good at: it's picking out familiar faces."

"Yes. We'll return back to the hotel first, just to double check the room for Vash."

**[.]**

_"And in the message," Meryl added for him, "You said that there is something you have to settle between us the next time we encounter."_

_"Yes..." Vash scratched his cheek, his eyes occasionally shifting to look at Meryl. "Milly, Calvin, that bartender, they all kept trying to imply that we...you know, where together. I wanted to tell you that you don't have to dwell on all of that stuff they said, it's not true anyway."_

_Why did hearing that last part make Meryl's heart begin to ache? She closed her eyes from this sudden pain and then finally said, "I know that, Vash. The only reason that we went to that bar together was to...um...I accepted the invitation because you seemed genuinely saddened when you got the impression I didn't want to."_

_"So you really didn't want to?"_

_"No, no it isn't like that!" Meryl said a little bit too fast once again, her tone raising a pitch in her panic. Vash turned and gave her a puzzled look as she laughed nervously afterward and returned his gaze. "What I mean is...Vash, I wanted to."_

**[.]**

"_Could that conversation we had yesterday...be the reason why Vash seems to be avoiding us?_" Meryl briefly wondered, once again getting so lost in her thoughts and tuning out to what Milly was saying about what they would do after finding Vash (something about going drinking). "_It's true that we finally got to talk about what happened that night on our...'date'. And he did kiss me goodnight, after all of that urging from Milly. I don't feel like we talked about it enough, because I just had to let myself fall asleep!_'

Meryl's cheeks suddenly pinked and her gaze lowered to the sandy ground beneath them. "_The awkward thing is...I just had to fall asleep on his chest of all things. I need to start paying more attention to what I'm doing..._"

Luckily, before Meryl could elaborate farther, Milly suddenly stopped walking and raised a hand over her brow to gaze a distance away. "Meryl, have we checked that shop over there yet?"

Meryl froze as well, blocking out her thoughts and turning to get a view of the small shop Milly was gesturing at. The building gave off a shady vibe with it's cracked walls, stringy covering over the front door, and various crates and barrels littered around. She brought a finger to her chin and carefully thought this over.

The shop didn't appear to be trustworthy. Well, that was the vibe she felt off of it. It was true that the buildings in this city were very run down and paling to the more impressive architecture at other well-known places on the planet. They haven't passed by there, but it just gave her the chills as to look at it.

This didn't stop Milly from humming as she walked towards the shop with a slight merry skip in her wake. Being more aware of the atmosphere, Meryl was quick to advance forward and hold out an arm in her path to get her freeze.

"Milly, wait." Meryl's unsure gaze flickered back to Milly. "Are you positive that Vash could be in there of all places? I know the sign says that it sells and repairs guns, but there is just something..._bothering _me."

"Hmm? What do you mean?" Milly blinked repeatedly, and made some offhand gesture involving her arms spreading outward. "It looks like an ordinary shop to me. And you have to take into consideration that Vash always gets mixed up in chaos and matches with the bad guys, so I bet he stops by these places regularly!"

"True, true." Meryl sighed. "But the whole atmosphere doesn't seem very welcoming...I almost feel like something bad is going to happen."

"Hahaha~ Don't be so paranoid, Meryl!" Milly finished the conversation up with a bubbly laugh and once again starting moving towards the suspicious shop. It took Meryl a few moments of deep consideration, but she was worn down and followed after her coworker.

And it seemed the more and more they advanced upon the shop, the more the suspicious feeling welling inside of Meryl increased. After so much horrible things happening to them, she's become adapted to this lifestyle (to a strict degree, mind you) and had a sinking feeling when chaos was brewing. Whether Milly realized how dangerous this could end up or not was totally let up for debate considering that she was more than willing to scope out the establishment for Vash.

**[.]**

Eve glowered as she lied sat there in her private bedroom of the in. Her hair was tousled from having her clips removed and her brunette bangs fell flat over her forehead while her curls twitched angrily, her skin was paling and her eyes were weak, she was shivering even though the air in the hotel was warm and she was buried under blankets. She had never felt more ridiculous in her entire life.

It was just plain ridiculous that she had to get ill at a time like this. And have a man so laid back and attracted to her that she hasn't even known for twenty-four hours yet at her bed side. Even though the cold and stressed out young woman was looking characteristically pissed off, she was also feeling mildly humiliated.

Maybe all of the worrying about Spiked Silver's attempts to collect his payment was what drove her to this state. Eve hated to worry, worry lead to anxiety and eventual paranoia. But here she was; ill in bed with Calvin attentively at her side.

Calvin give her a curious look at finally noticing her glower. He almost believed that she finally realized his very unrealistic hair color and was about to ask him how the hell he ended up with it, and he was about to comment on that, until her pale cheeks flushed intensely and she jerked upright and cupped her hand to her mouth to cough.

"Eve!" Calvin bolted up and held her shoulders to keep her up. After her coughing fit settled and she released a long sigh and lied back against the pillows on her bed, he removed the glove on his left hand and gently stroked her forehead and cheeks. "Damn, you're burning up...do you need anything at all? Maybe some water?"

"I don't need anything. I told you that at least ten friggin' times!" Eve spat, her facial features becoming rather blank and it was apparent she was irritated with the man. She rolled over facing the wall and sighed again. "Listen to me closely: if you want to be helpful, you can leave my room and go out somewhere. I didn't ask for your help this morning, I refuse to let someone I hardly know see me in such a humiliating position..."

Calvin rolled his eyes. "You have too much pride, 'ya know that?" He shook his head in a disagreeing manner and took a seat on the edge of her small bed, leaning over to delicately wound his fingers in her light brown curls he found so pretty. "Hey, everyone has moments they are weakened and pride gets injured. I've had more than I can count."

"Stop sympathizing with me."

"I feel like I need to be of some help to you, Eve." Calvin flashed her his almost trade mark half-smile, which she probably would have noticed had Eve been not been burning holes into the wall on the opposite side of the bed with her piercing glare. "Besides, I was kinda thinking that maybe we could...well...my last girlfriend dumped me and I'm single now. I need a feisty woman like you in my life."

Eve's cheeks lit up a bright red, but still, her grimace was unwavering as she continued to stare at the wall in front of her.

"I'm not sounding too forward, am I?" Calvin suddenly asked curiously, rubbing the back of his neck when his lazy hazel eyes caught sight of Eve silently nod yes. "Sorry 'bout that. I just...well...I've always been a hopeless romantic and I just can't help myself when I meet an attractive girl like you."

"Just stop talking." Eve coldly ordered, feeling increasingly uncomfortable by his advances especially in her weak state right now. Ever since Spiked Silver attempted to rape her a few years ago she just...she just wasn't the same around men. The flirtatious especially. "The room is so bitter cold and I'm tired as hell. Please just let me rest in peace."

"You're making a good decision to take it easy until you feel better, Eve." Calvin did as ordered and slipped off the bed back onto his feet. She shifted over facing him once again and her hand reached for the pillow and tried to nestle into it. "If you need anything at all; all you have to do is give me a holler. I will be downstairs in the inn cleaning and checking the front desk for any customers or travelers with questions."

Eve didn't respond. Her tired, almost bloodshot eyes closed at long last when her head hit the pillow. It was like heaven to be under all of those covers, she knew that at this point she never wanted to leave it.

For a brief moment, she was grateful for Calvin's concern and readiness to help her. Key word: brief. She immediately drifted off to sleep.

For once, that typical deadpan expression on her face softened. Eve's sleeping face was certainly not the most peaceful looking, but she certainly looked a lot cuter when she wasn't looking like she was always in a sour mood. Calvin just had to half-smile at this very rare scene he was witnessing.

Deep down, Eve probably didn't deserve all of the stress and paranoia in her life. Maybe she would be very friendly and grateful for the littlest things that came her way if Spiked Silver was out of the picture. The thought alone of that bastard made Calvin disgusted. He was just trying to protect the frightened girl and he was no match against the other man; defeated by attempted strangling.

Maybe he really was a pathetic guy who was never meant to get anywhere in life. Just as his _ex-girlfriend_ had snapped at him before she left. But even if Calvin was generally weak and barely had knowledge of guns, he still learned to appreciate the simplest things that life had to offer. For example: even if they were all trapped on this chaotic desert of a planet, Calvin did take into consideration that they all had their needs met in ways and still had hope.

Now if he could just get Eve to think the same way. But as he watched her sleep and occasionally toss, he found it understandable that it would be a challenge. The only way things could calm down a bit for Eve, and this city, was if the cruel man dressed in silver was defeated or at least thrown in jail. He could not do this alone...that was why the casual green-haired man needed to get Vash, Meryl, Wolfwood, and Milly on his side; because these four were strong in their own ways.

Allies would be very much need in this situation, he knew this very well.

With a final glance at Eve, Calvin exited the room and closed the door without a sound. Once one of the four new friends that he has encountered drops by the hotel again, he would recruit them to help him search for Spiked Silver with no strings attached.

**[.]**

Entering the small little shop, Meryl and Milly glanced around curiously and yet cautious at the inside. This place was strange as it had dim lighting and gave off a chilly and unfriendly vibe. The girls were almost ready to leave the place immediately and try to pretend they never set foot inside; but they knew very well Vash had to be found eventually.

Still, with it's dark colors, creaking floor, and the dim bulb hanging on the ceiling, one could only question how the hell this shady building could be considered a store in the first place. At least it still had some qualities of a store: with it's counter and shelves that had all kinds of guns placed about. And containers of bullets littered about.

"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea, Milly." Meryl suggested, lowering her tone purposely as to not be heard by anyone else just in case gangs of outlaws could have been hiding out here or something.

"Don't worry." Milly reached underneath her coat and almost smiled a little too innocently as she pulled out her large gun she carried for protection. "We can handle ourselves if any chaos breaks out."

"Maybe so, that's what I thought the last forty-seven times anyway."

There was no shopkeeper at the front counter. How strange. Quietly, the girls held onto their hidden guns and walked up to the counter just about holding their breaths.

Before Milly could reach out and press the cute, tiny bell on the counter, the back door swung open and a man emerged from the shoulders – effectively causing the two to straighten up and flinch at the mysterious vibe they were receiving from him.

From the shadows cast upon the walls, the man revealed himself. He looked to be somewhere in his late twenties and his most memorable traits was his shoulder-length girly blond hair, and his sharp gaze that only came out more with each time he pushed up his glasses. "Oh, I'm sorry about the wait. I was back taking inventory."

"Uh-huh..." Meryl smacked her face, bringing herself out of the intimidated state and she collected herself to the point of appearing very under control as she met the cold eyes of the apparent shopkeeper. "We didn't come for your selection, sir. On the contrary, we are looking for someone...have you seen a man with-"

Meryl broke her sentence and bit her lip with widening eyes once the mysterious man propped his elbows against the surface of the counter and stared down into her eyes. He raised a hand and brushed through her raven locks and caused her body to shiver in a way that was not at all pleasant. Milly could only look on worriedly.

"Pardon me about being so forward, but what is your name? I haven't seen a woman so attractive step in here in months." Meryl's brows furrowed and she could feel some disgust well up inside herself. If there was one thing that bothered her the most about traveling all across the planet, it was all of the flirtatious scoundrels that would try to put the moves on her or Milly.

"It's...Meryl." Meryl backed away from the counter and gestured to Milly. "This is my coworker Milly, and we are here in this city as orders from the B-"

"I could care less about why you're here." The man casually interrupted, he kept a rather impassive face and came out from around the counter over to Meryl. A glint appeared in his eyes, the kind of glint that Meryl knew wasn't trustworthy. "Welcome to my store, I know quite a lot about guns and create lots of various kinds each crafted with passion. And I also offer a deal for repairs. If there is anything that you need, Meryl, I would be more than _glad _to be of service."

Despite how very creepy this sounded coming from the shady character, Milly smiled and clasped her hands. "Wow~! It must be a lot of work to keep up this place!"

"It is very stressful." The shady man replied with little interest once craning his neck to look at the other girl that hardly appeared attractive in his eyes. He turned his attention back to Meryl immediately and creepily pushed up his slim, silver glasses. "You ladies look like you could handle yourself in a fight. I assume that we crossed paths because you are looking for another gun, or perhaps a repair?"

"We look like we could handle ourselves in a fight?" Meryl repeated with a deadpan expression. This was the first time that she and Milly had ever been told that, and frankly, she didn't know what to think of this compliment.

"Actually," Milly corrected, coming closer to the mysterious shopkeeper and holding onto his shoulder. "We're supposed to be looking out for Mr. Vash and well, we've lost sight of him and was wondering if you knew where he was."

Vash...? The shopkeeper's eyes widened a bit and he evaded Milly, backing up to the counter without being noticed. He could have sworn that he's heard the name before. Before settling down temporarily in this city, he had been a gunman roaming the planet as a bounty hunter. Of course, his name was not known like some of the big shots but he knew about the legendary Vash The Stampede.

He and Spiked Silver...met each other through their work. Of course, the man never did trust the one dressed in silver all that much. One day they had crossed paths in a ghost town and decided to stay in contact. But he knew that Spiked Silver only wished to know him due to the fact he was good with guns – crafting and repairing them that is. Though his skills with shooting were not something to take _that_ lightly.

Of course...then came the unfortunate day when he had a brief encounter with Vash himself – it was the real deal. He didn't get a good glimpse of him because it was in the dead of the night, but he remembered a man with spiked blond hair, a red coat, an unusual gun he had never seen another like, and rather offhand tactics in the danger they were in. The shopkeeper's eyes closed as he thought back to this brief encounter.

He had visited a local saloon and happened to be sitting one table away from the quirky man himself; of course she hadn't the slightest idea of his identity. He had been traveling with Spiked Silver as a tool that he could use for repairs and backup and nothing more. In order to take a break away from him and his annoying hot temper, he ditched him shamelessly and went to the saloon for some dinner and entertainment. Somehow, a rough looking band of thugs infiltrated the establishment shouting at the top of their lungs about how they were going to take money and would make hostages out of any person who dared to try and stop them, escape, or resist. Of course, he didn't want to get killed by these fools but he did not want to be submissive like everyone else in the building; so he pulled out his gun and aimed it at the leader.

Of course, the leader was not the least bit intimidated and actually grinned wickedly when he set his eyes on the quirky man at the table next to his own. He announced the identity of him to all; that he was the Vash The Stampede and that he would allow everyone else to escape for free, but he was taking this man as a hostage and would then turn him in whether dead or alive.

Long story short – Vash tried to evade the guys but it didn't work. He had tried to protect everyone, him included, but he was stubborn and refused to listen to orders from a man of his kind of reputation: he even cocked his gun right at his forehead and warned him with a grimace that he wasn't going to be taken advantage of again and would most certainly murder him right there if he tried anything.

He learned better after being so rash. Was Vash even that bad of a guy like the group of thugs were making him out to be? He wasn't sure...because Vash hardly reacted to the gun thrust at his head and, instead, had the nerve to grab it by the middle and push it away without ever getting close to the trigger. Once the gun was out of his face, he tried to explain to a slightly younger and bold version of himself that he was going to chase out the thugs and protect everyone whether they wanted it or not. But he hadn't the slightest idea how it would turn out in the end.

After acting careless and goofy up front to the leader of the thugs, Vash was able to stall enough time for everyone else to hide away in safer places or just leave the place undetected so that they could save themselves. But he...he had been too young and rebellious to really believe the wanted man's unusual promise. He wanted to be the hero...and that ended up costing him a price once he did a failed sneak attack to the leader of the thugs and got his left hand broken and scarred and a deep bullet wound to the chest.

The experience could have probably killed him...and realizing this afterward, he swore to not ever go out on the road like that again and avoid fights at any costs. Perhaps he was paranoid, but the experience deeply affected his pride and altered his bold personality. Now he acted rather creepy and snarky to most, but this was just a masquerade to hide a very paranoid and timid man.

"Hmm?" Meryl's brows knitted together as she noticed the creepily flirtatious man look away almost thoughtfully. Despite having immediately a very negative judge of his character already, she waved a hand to his face to bring him back to the planet. "What's wrong? Do you know anything about Vash?"

"Honestly, Meryl, I..."

The odd blond shopkeeper did not get to finish the response. All of a sudden, the door to the shop was flung open and a man barged in almost angrily, huffing and mumbling furiously about something.

Upon turning and getting a good look at the man, Meryl and Milly felt the room go several degrees cooler as their eyes widened a bit.

Their unexpected visitor happened to be...Spiked Silver himself. Oh crap.

**To Be Continued**

**[.]**

**There is no excuse for me to have delayed the update for so long. I'm sorry, but I just had so much going on with my life and gradually became unsure of how to continue the story. There was this massive...block that was hard to shake off that easily without the help of my supportive BFF (yes I am referring to YOU, StormofyourDestiny).**

**I know you probably are wondering how the hell this shopkeeper even fits into the story, you probably are wondering why Spiked Silver has returned, and you probably wonder why Vash and everyone else just HAD to get involved in this whirlwind of chaos. Well, all of this will be explained slowly as we move alone. More about the characters will be revealed EVENTUALLY, and all at the RIGHT time; worry not for now. :) Instead, let's focus on the present.**

**Everyone, you do not have to reply to that question about adding in Legato or Knives anymore: I decided that adding them in would not feel right and would be too hard to fully explain. I just wanted to make it clear so you will know. But Vash will occasionally bring them up vaguely – other than that, no appearance will be made.**

_**Next Chapter: Turns out that Spiked Silver's motives don't all revolve around Eve; he also has a desire to collect the bounty of Vash The Stampede and now that he realizes the man he battled before is him, he instigates another. Will Vash be able to escape this crazy man?**_

_**Following Chapter: Spiked Silver and Vash begin their second round and this time – it will determine the fate of the former's surprising hostage.**_

**Read and review!**

**~MidnightSakuraBlossom**


	9. Encountering The Enemy

**[.]**

**A Different Kind of Love Story**

**Chapter 9: Encountering The Enemy**

**[.]**

"_Why did I have to avoid the subject? I could have easily went on with the topic and probably explain to Meryl the other side of the story. She still doesn't know that I..._"

He couldn't complete that thought. As much as he wanted to, the rest of his monologue refused to resume at the pausing point. And if trying to complete this in his head was a brutal challenge, he could hardly imagine how tongue-tied he would become trying to actually _say _it.

But he wanted to be able to say it. A part of him was holding back, and why exactly? Hey, just because of their different lifestyles ad his own goals, why should things have to be left unsaid and everything paused at the beginning point.

Thinking about all of this was becoming too rough for Vash. He rested his chin on his palm and his eyes slowly shifted upward to the vast blue sky. It was pretty clear today, as usual, and the city down bellow was somewhat busy if not doing things kind of paranoid from the bad times upon them.

Sitting up here on one of the tallest buildings in the city, the mayor's residence, was actually great for being alone to think about current problems and things weighing one's mind. He could get a clear shot of the city and the sky above, not to mention that it would be difficult for the average eye to be able to notice him and ask another, "who is that idiot perilously sitting on the mayor's home?". It was also handy for being undetected by Meryl or Milly – especially Meryl. After their conversing the previous evening before dinner, he felt awkward in her presence. He couldn't understand why, when he had been able to control his actual feelings well before the whole event of that date at the bar.

Mulling it over, the Humanoid Typhoon briefly wondered if things would be any different had they not encountered at the hotel and went out to that bar. Would these strange feelings that he knew of very well eventually falter or would they increase? And why...why did he have to start feeling this way now when things were not all that well with the planet?

"_Something needs to be done. I need to just get over this because it will only lead to some extra heartache. But it won't just be for me...Meryl may end up with her share. I don't want the situation to take that turn._" Realization stuck. And in that moment, Vash leaned forward to a large, sturdy front outdoor lamp on the home and rested his head against it as his eyes fluttered to a close. "_But when does a situation ever take the opposite turn? That's why, I have to turn in this Spiked Silver guy as quickly as possible so I can move on to the next city._"

It seemed as though the atmosphere was getting warmer and some of the chatter by the residents of the city went silent. Vash's eyes shifted briefly to see that people were beginning to walk back into homes or buildings. And his curiosity began to rise as he took in the whole shifty scene.

Investigating was in order.

**[.]**

Dammit! Why did they have to get caught in this situation? Why did _he_ have to enter the scene now of all times when they had been so close to getting some sort of information out of that man?

The man dressed in silver thankfully hadn't noticed them yet. But this did not help Meryl and Milly's intense fear welling up inside and their instincts telling them to run and not get involved. In their not-so-pleasant state of surprise, their bodies just wouldn't react to common sense. It didn't matter what they did, what words the chose, Spiked Silver would no doubt notice them as part of the group Vash had alongside him that day.

His back turned to the three, Spiked Silver slammed the door back to a tight close and heaved an angry growl. If only they could see that his eyes were narrowed and his facial expression revealed much frustration – understatement. "Sage!"

Meryl and Milly immediately spun on the heels of their feet toward the creepy shopkeeper, Sage, and looked into his cold blue eyes with almost hopeless expressions. As if begging him to come to their aid. And rather than brushing them off, Sage actually _took the hint _and gestured quickly towards the backroom.

It was like a miracle for them. Despite coming off as untrustworthy and borderline creepy, he was actually coming to their aid! Possibly, he was only doing this because he had taken a special interest in Meryl, but this honestly did not have the least bit of significance at the moment! And nevertheless, Meryl still didn't trust him entirely.

Still, they had no choice, did they? As soon and silently as possible, the two girls tore off to the backroom and made sure to not make a peep as they hide and closed the door. Seeing that they were hidden safely, for now, Sage pushed up his glasses and proceeded to put on his usual blank expression that he wore around his ex-partner.

"I see that you're back again. Have any trouble out there?" Sage spoke up, seeing that his ex-partner still was brooding and turning away from him. This was a typical occurrence since he started coming back to the shop.

At long last, the easily-angered man spun around sharply and stared down the more slender and less muscular shopkeeper before him. This was no time for him to be trying to pick arguments again! "I wouldn't be back here if I hadn't forgotten to pick up that temporary gun we made a deal with last night! You still have the damn thing?"

"I believe so." Sage responded indifferently. But he was inwardly panicked, the gun that Spiked Silver was going to be armed with temporarily as he tried to restore his previous back to it's former glory was in the _back room _the girls had been instructed to flee to. "Ah...I assume that you haven't had much luck with finding that mysterious gunman you encountered yesterday?"

**[.]**

The inside of the storage room was somewhat small, but it was roomy enough for the two girls plus all of the supplies and special-looking guns stored within. It was just about cast in total darkness and light was only clear through a tiny key hole in the knob that was much too tiny for an eye to glimpse through.

Meryl and Milly pressed themselves to the door and listened to the muffled conversing quietly, hardly daring to make a breath in fear of what may happen if Spiked Silver detected their presence and noticed them as Vash's friends. Knowing how short-tempered and violent this man could be, there was no doubt he would not hold back on killing them with one deadly shot just because they uttered the wrong thing to his face.

And honestly, both were worried their thumping hearts could be heard through the door. In their chests they could feel the organ pumping in suspense and fear of what may happen next. It just wasn't a good idea for them to jump out and start shooting, they had to be smart, defensive, and carefully consider the strategy before any moves could be made at this time.

Meryl couldn't help but wonder...why was that creepy Sage actually helping them out? He didn't know of them well and certainly couldn't imagine what had happened back at that hotel yesterday when Spiked Silver infiltrated it. It was apparent that he has taken an interest in her, and tried to be flirtatious. Yet, she remained on her toes and decided it would not be good to befriend him at this time or see him in a positive way. He could easily switch sides.

"Couldn't find the little bastard anywhere..."

"If you are not capable of finding him for that rematch you desire, why are you still here?"

"Sage, just stop wasting my damn time! Get me that gun or else I will forcefully get it myself!"

"See, this is exactly why Eve detests you."

"WHAT?"

"So, so impatient. We have all the time in the world to get that gun, but first I would like to see the remains of your previous. I know that I have said before it was beyond my skills, yet another chance at it would be ideal."

"Forget it. You ain't getting it because I intend to take my business elsewhere on the road. Now get me the gun and quit stalling!"

Milly shivered and inched closer to Eve, she was scared of what may happen next and wanted nothing more than some miracle to happen. Perhaps Sage deciding to be on their side and getting rid of Spiked Silver, or Vash and Wolfwood entering the scene and putting up a fight. That would be nice...but it seemed that this wouldn't be happening anytime soon.

After a short period of silence, the two looked at each other in interest. Wondering if maybe Sage was able to convince the cruel man to leave and take his unwelcome presence elsewhere. But there was no chance of that happening...when they heard an aggravated growl and then the audible clicking of boots taking steps forward.

"You're hiding something."

"Hiding something? That's a childish way to call me out."

"What's in that storage room other than my new gun? Eve?"

"How could you possibly believe that I would have that irritating, ice cold woman in there? I've told you several times, I still wouldn't take her away from you even though I still contain a grudge from past events."

"Let me in there!"

"Wait a second, you can't just barge in there without some sort of permission!"

"Don't give me any of that crap, now _get away_!"

"You're too rash! I'll have you know I'm getting offended right now!"

"Meryl," Milly whispered hoarsely as she turned to her shaking coworker. "We have to find some way out of here before he opens the door! If Spiked Silver sees us..."

Guessing what Milly was probably going to say when she trailed off in horror, Meryl whispered back mostly to herself, "Let's just say that we won't get much time to explain ourselves. And I doubt we could put up much of a fight against him! Oh...help me look around for some sort of hiding place!"

As quickly as they could manage, not to mention silently, the insurance girls scurried around the tiny storage room in a desperate search for some hiding places. It was all in vain: the only things that the room contained were shelves with guns and a few boxes that were much too small to hide them.

However, Meryl did notice a strange panel in the upper right corner of the room. She lowered herself to her knees and tried to squint through the darkness to examine this panel that stood out easily against the stone wall. As Milly ran around, she pressed her palm against the wooden material and her curiosity began to increase ten fold as her mind went off track and wondered what this could be.

Neither really had much time, before the door was kicked open easily by an aggravated Spiked Silver. Light flooded in immediately, revealing Meryl on her knees looking up at the two men while still rubbing the odd wooden panel, and Milly totally frozen in place looking staring with widened eyes and awkwardly spreading out her arms.

Silence filled the room. Not a good sign at all, really. Erratically, Meryl and Milly's hearts pounded against their ribs ready to burst from the shock of being discovered. There was no telling...what this cruel man could do to them and despite Sage's belief, they really weren't all that great in an actual match. They barely could defend themselves even armed with guns anyway.

They really wished they could have remained hidden longer. It would have been great to be able to escape when Spiked Silver wasn't looking. But how could they have escaped undetected when the key hole was too tiny and they were not sure when to open the door. And in this moment, all they had to do was pray that this crazy man couldn't remember faces well.

"So...you were hiding these two." Spiked Silver announced, his tone lowering with faint disappointment because he had been hoping on seeing something outlandish. Not a couple of unarmed women who looked shocked to the core. His brows knitted together and he craned his neck to get a glimpse of an indifferent Sage at his side. "These two wouldn't happen to be, you know, _toys_?"

In a rush of anger at the last remark, Meryl glowered and instantly pushed herself back up to her feet. What kind of implications was that bastard making? Was he seriously implying that they looked like nothing more than sex objects to play with?

"Hey, I take offense to that!" Meryl suddenly growled, Milly and the guys turned their attention to her as she whipped out one of her guns at an almost blinding speed and cocked it at Spiked Silver. Her previous fear apparently all replaced by her fury. "Anyway, put up your hands and don't bother struggling! I am so damn tired of all this chaos in my life!"

Starting to catch on to what Meryl was doing, since Spiked Silver seemingly didn't notice them as Vash's friends from the previous morning, Milly glowered as well and whipped out her large, heavy gun and cocked it as well. Judging by her expression, she hadn't the need to say anything and tried to look as if she meant business.

Sage wanted to help them. Meryl especially. He noticed what kind of game they were playing and felt a bit of amusement as well as some respect they could get over their fear so suddenly and have the guts to point their weapons at the crazy man. Watching the scene, he smirked as if to know what was happening here.

"What gives you the right to say that, bitch?" Spiked Silver prompted, narrowing his eyes and leaning forward into Meryl's face. As if daring her to pull the trigger she was shakily reaching for.

Damn, damn, damn! His eyes looked so hostile and meaning _business_! Such a cold sapphire shade. "I-I happen to be an employee of the B-Bernardelli insurance Society and it's my job to-"

"Don't give me any of that crap!" Spiked Silver interjected, obviously he lacked patience so much. And he raised a hand to snatch he gun right out from her shaking hands. But that's when he looked at the gun fully, and clearly inspected her face.

The gun looked familiar...and this woman's face was easily recognizable, how could he have not seen this earlier when he first barged in on them to find out what Sage was being secretive about. That short raven hair, her dark eyes, those clothes...and the taller girl at her side with that long brown hair, childish gaze even in this serious moment, and her clothes...

These two were the same women that were that crazy man's back-ups! The shorter one had announced their arrival and insisted without breaking down that she would fire her gun, and the taller one had come to that annoying green-haired man's aid after he strangled the crap out of him! Geez, why did he have to be so terrible at remembering faces like these?

"Wait a minute..." Spiked Silver Meryl's gun and roughly shoved back to her abdomen. Luckily, her fingers had moved from the trigger before this happened and no bullets fired. "You two: you were a part of that group that crazy man was with! You were with Vash The Stampede!"

"Hell yes, and I'll have you know that I am not a sex object for any-" Meryl cut herself off immediately, after the realization of what he called Vash slowly sunk in. She slipped her gun back underneath her coat and hesitated to ask, "W-what did you just call him?"

"Vash The Stampede! The legendary wanted man who is strolling by Ember Walls and staying at the hotel Eve works at..." Milly swallowed a lump in her throat in the background and put away her gun as well. Seeing as though he was recalling their encounter and he too knew of Vash, it was safe to surrender at this point. "I should know who he is – I've heard the rumors about him while out on the road and the most sought after targets with the largest prices on their heads stroll through this place because it's nicely unguarded!"

"What makes you believe that the man you fought was _the _Vash The Stampede, hmm?" Sage chimed in at long last, obviously not caring that Spiked Silver had turned his attention towards him and it was not in a good way at all. "By your descriptions last night, he was a complete fool whom did tons of offhand moves in the fight. Yet he did manage a vital shot to your special gun."

Sage didn't dare add in how he found it to be ridiculous that Spiked Silver lost to that sort of person. And seeing as how he has become over the years of staying off the road and settling down in one place, the untrustworthy man would have usually done so. But at the point in time, it would not be wise to piss this man off right here and right now because he didn't want Meryl to get in harm's way. With Milly, he really didn't care much.

What made Sage think that he could just ask a question like that? Did he seriously feel calm and collected right now even though he could feel his blood boiling and a wave of fury wash over him as he scowled and reflected on how he came to the conclusion that fool was _the _Vash.

It had all begun the previous day when he went out into the city for a a drink. After using of of his intimidation skills which was rather easy for a man of his appearance and personality. As he contained very slight bits of sensitivity. While there, he overheard two men complaining about the climate and eventually piqued his interest even more by mentioning Vash was in town. And he obviously knew all about the infamous wanted man because he had been traveling through many big cities where news traveled fast.

If he could take in Vash, dead or alive, he would be so damn rich with the bounty off of him! With that many double dollars, he could take his gun to _experts_ and leave Sage behind him as a worthless pawn he no longer needed, and then his life would be made because he would no longer have to worry about fees or bills. He could _attempt _to get over that incident years ago and agree to Eve's father that they could forget about that dept now – just as long as he handed over Eve for him to have some...sadistic pleasure with.

And there was no doubt that her father would except. He blatantly revealed that he hardly cared about her when she was younger, and still has not become willing to let her take over the business and run an entire hotel by herself. The greedy, ungrateful fool needed his daughter around to help him with money problems and nothing more. Most likely.

The man that Spiked Silver encountered and battled was no ordinary man. No one that he has ever seen in his lifetime could evade so many attacks easily and manage to do such stupid tactics without even having to shoot a bullet at the target. Being able to zero in on that hardly noticeable crack on his weapon...which was the weak point that had been forgotten a long time ago and not sealed up.

That man...had to be Vash. And all Spiked Silver had to do was instigate a second round and stir up the fleeting population of this city, plus the travelers and sightseers. Now, knowing his full identity and what his tactics and personality was like in a the middle of action, he had the advantage.

"Come on...don't jump to conclusions like that! Don't tell me that you believe that man is the infamous-"

"I know exactly who he is and let me tell you this: that bastard is _mine_." Spiked Silver's tone was lowered with hostility and his eyes glowered as they always did when he was meaning business and was at the point of getting prepared to maim a target. "I'll be set for life if I can get that bounty off him. You two, that green-haired jackass, Eve, and the man dressed in black may _think _that you know me, but you _don't_! Granted I know nothing about bounty hunting, but I am more than prepared to turn him in dead or alive!"

"Dead or alive...?" Meryl and Milly whimpered, instantly fearing Vash's safety now. They had seen him in a fight several times and he could hold his own, no matter how crazy he chose his tactics to be. But there was just something about this crazy man.

Rather than staying on the topic, Spiked Silver angrily shoved back the girls and went to the shelf his temporary gun rested straightaway. It's burnt umber, sleek body almost gleamed evilly in the light. It was designed to be big and bulky, probably just a little bit bigger than Milly's at the most. Though it seemed to be a different type; one that neither of the girls had the chance to wonder.

Skillfully, and just to be an ass and show off, Spiked Silver grasped the weapon by it's large handle and twirled it around suspended in the air before resting it underneath his armpit with both hands holding it tightly. "You two better tell me where Vash is, or else I will shoot you."

"They don't know anything." Sage insisted too quickly, taking a step forward and sending his ex-partner a glare as he too grasped the large gun. He shot a rare look of concern at a mildly surprised Meryl, hinting that he was trying to come to her aid better this time. "Besides, you've jumped to conclusions and lost your temper for no good reason. These two haven't even heard of Vash and are mere travelers that recently arrived via a sandsteamer."

His lies were blatant. So lifeless and unbelievable for Spiked Silver. In a matter of seconds he turned around and glared coldly at the long blond-haired man. "Sage, don't bother covering up for them! I remember clearly now: the shorter one had called out and insisted she wasn't afraid to pull the trigger of her gun, and the taller one had examined that green-haired jackass who tried to protect Eve from me!" For a moment, he flickered his full attention to Sage and raised his gun only to shove it right to Sage's throat. "How dare you think for a second that you could really trick me! You fucking traitor I should have just shot and killed a long time ago after that brief encounter of yours with Vash!"

As they watched the chaos unfolding before their eyes, Meryl and Milly looked on somewhat worriedly. They knew that they should have just run out the door since it was left open, they could do this since Spiked Silver was distracted. Their bodies just wouldn't respond, they almost felt like...they wanted to hear their story. How exactly the two knew each other and what the cruel man dressed in silver meant by calling him out as a traitor. And what about that aforementioned brief encounter with Vash?

"I understand that you want to have another round with him and get your revenge...and I won't stop you from doing this." Sage calmly mentioned, as if he wasn't the least bit fazed by the fact the umber weapon was pressed against his throat and tipping his chin upward. Inwardly, however, he felt almost too shocked and panicked to speak. "Just don't...don't bring me or those two into this. We have nothing to do with it, and it is strictly between you and Vash."

"And you really fucking think I'll listen to your words?" It was as if he hadn't heard anything that Sage had calmly said, knowing that he could be shot and possibly murdered right then and there. Spiked Silver shoved the gun more into his ex-partner's throat, which was really starting to crush and feel as if it were going to collapse.

Breathing roughly, desperately clinging to the arch of the doorway, Sage still tried to keep up his calm and composed facade as he stared straight into those angry eyes. "No." Meryl and Milly shakily took a step forward, more than prepared to bolt out of the room once they could find an opening. "For once in your life, I would suggest you try to listen rather than doing the talking. And if it's possible, removing the gun from my windpipe would be ideal."

"You really don't have to kill him right now. What has he possibly done to end up cornered with a gun at his throat, anyway?" Spiked Silver, Meryl, even Sage to a degree turned to glance at Milly whom was trying to be bold and tell off the cruel man dressed in silver. Maybe that wasn't the best move that she had made, however...

Or was it?

A short silence overcame everyone after those words were stated. But as usual, Spiked Silver brushed them off; yet backing away from Sage and removing the gun from his throat. Sage promptly released a desperate, rough breath and slipped down the floor onto his knees clutching it.

For a fleeting second, Meryl met Milly's eyes and gave her an approving smile. But that was before they both returned to typical, no-nonsense expressions as they drew their guns at pointed them at Spiked Silver.

With Sage on the floor clutching his throat, and Meryl and Milly angry and cocking guns at him, the short-tempered gunman looked around wondering what he could do now. He had his gun, he cut off his traitor of a partner's oxygen for a few moments, and in his mind he knew that his goals now were to encounter Vash again and have that second round to get his revenge and then turn him in for the bounty.

Trying to find Vash would be a challenge unless he could bait him. Spiked Silver had been across the planet, he heard the rumors, he knew that the Humanoid Typhoon moved fast and could be gone in a moment. All he had to do was get him to come of his own will, but there would have to be a great reason.

Glancing back at Meryl and Milly, Spiked Silver smirked wickedly. They could be his trump cards. After all, they were young women and not to mention they obviously weren't all that skilled with weapons. If they were with Vash that day, they could be friends and knowing that people he cared about were in danger...that idiot would have to try and come to their rescue.

Perfect plan.

"Alright," Spiked Silver advancing towards the girls, their grips on their weapons beginning to falter more and more as he came closer. "I know that you two are somehow with Vash The Stampede. How well do you know the man...?"

"Uhhh..."

"Answer the damn question! I don't mind blowing your heads off your bodies!" Gulps were faintly audible from the two when Spiked Silver's gun was raised and scarily close to their faces. And his finger was inching towards the large trigger.

"Well...we...we're um, it's our job to follow him around." Milly shakily replied, copying Meryl and putting her weapon back under her coat seeing as though they were basically being forced to surender. "Mr. Vash is always causing trouble, you know. But he really isn't a bad guy-"

"Just how close are you two? Honestly?"

Milly forced a fond smile across her lips. "I really don't see Mr. Vash as a threat to people. We get along pretty well nearly all the time."

Now Spiked Silver's fierce gaze settled on Meryl, whom was somewhat hesitant to say what she thought about Vash. It was strange how he wanted the honest truth. "Ummm...I...he's...at first..."

"Humph, I know that look in your eyes. It's the same look that I have whenever around Eve." Spiked Silver said knowingly, his tone was surprisingly lowering and not quite as hostile as usual at that! "Look at you: you're hesitant, stammering, turning so red, and then there's that telltale look in your eyes that reveals everything."

"J-just what are you trying to say?" Meryl snapped, almost regretting that when the cruel man's gaze sharpened again and he glared for her raising her voice at him of all people.

"I can't believe I would have to freaking spell it out for you! You are so goddamn pathetic!"

Maybe the pathetic part was true. She didn't know what Spiked Silver was trying to imply, but judging by the way that he said it was how he looked when Eve came into the picture...and he's interested a little too much in the sharp-tongued woman...

Did Spiked Silver just say that he thinks she loves Vash? Was that what he was implying? Oh God, that was embarrassing in hindsight, and Meryl realized this immediately, trying to look away from Milly's faint knowing smile that was tugging at her lips even in this dangerous situation.

"Listen to me closely," Gradually, Spiked Silver's tone lowered to a sly whisper as he lowered himself closer into Meryl's ear. She outwardly shivered in fear at feeling his breath and was almost prepared to gather some courage to pull out her pistol. "I know when someone cares about another person. I've been around with multiple women, having sex whether they wanted it or not. Some of them actually, dare I say, developed an attraction for reasons I don't even know myself. You care about that dumbass, I know that look in your eyes..."

"S-so what if I do?" Meryl jerked herself away and stood there a small distance almost trembling as she wiped out two guns in her hands. "I swear, I will shoot you if you try anything at all!"

"I need some sort of bait to lure Vash The Stampede, and _you _will play that part." Meryl's eyes widened and she would not have doubted it if her face was losing it's color and she was as white as a sheet. "Don't jump to conclusions, if you play along like a good pawn then I just may let you free afterward without any violence." To make emphasis, the man dressed in silver raised his gun and pointed it directly at Meryl's head. "That being said, I will fucking kill you if you try to be a sneaky little bitch and evade me. During the time he tries to come to your rescue, I'll try to hold back with my temper – _if_ that's even possible – and not get you caught in the crossfire.

"Suppose..." Meryl backed up closer against the wall, it seemed like this was a random move but there was actually more to it. She was directly in front of that odd panel she had felt, and had the sneaky feeling it lead to perhaps a secret tunnel or getaway. "If I were to pull the trigger right now and shoot you, _Spiked Silver_?

"'Ya wouldn't get far, because I wouldn't die that easily. If I ever do get murdered, I ain't doing it in this pathetic excuse of a shop of that bastard's!"

Against Spiked Silver's knowledge, Meryl lowered one of her guns to the panel. Her fingertips were slowly reaching for the trigger and she tried to remain cool. "Maybe it isn't so pathetic after all?"

"What are you trying-"

**BANG! BANG!**

Why...why didn't that work?

Meryl's eyes fearfully shifted to the panel on the wall and then the floor, Spiked Silver's followed suit in fury. Two bullets lie useless on the floor. Apparently, they failed to make some sort of escape. But the insurance girl could not help but wonder...what did that thing do if anything?

"Okay, that's it," Meryl's guns fell to the floor with an echoing clatter and her gasps filled the silence soon after once a hand reached out and clasped her arm. "You are coming with me this instant!"

Meryl was jerked aside and she fell into Spiked Silver's hold. He glared down at her and cocked his gun to the side of her head, she could feel perspiration on her skin and her eyes sting. "Bitch, I warned you about trying to escape! That panel does nothing, I've tried several times myself and Sage never reveals it's purpose! Now follow orders or I can promise you death..."

At long last, Meryl was able to shout, although still terrified by what may happen now. "Milly! Sage! Someone-!"

"The other girl's gone and Sage is still knocked out cold, bitch. It's just the both of us now." Meryl's eyes widened when she looked over Spiked Silver's muscular arms and saw that Sage was flat on his face not even moving, and Milly was not even there!

Wait a minute, maybe there was still a spark of hope after all! Meryl was worried about her friend, but at least she had managed to escape unharmed and there was no doubt that she had slipped when she sensed something bad was going to happen. If luck was on their side, she may go find somebody to help – Wolfwood, Vash, Calvin, anybody that could help her and put this crazy man in his place!

But the next several minutes were a blur as Meryl's arms were pinned behind her back and they were tightly bounded by thick rope and her legs shared the same fate. Easily, Spiked Silver hoisted her away and out of the shop, leaving Sage behind on the floor.

And it wasn't until a few seconds they left, did Sage's body begin to tremble and weak groans come from his aching throat. He weakly pushed himself up off his face and sat slumped against the wall.

Coming to, his blue eyes opened slightly and he strained to see without his glasses that lied on the floor. He realized soon that Spiked Silver, Meryl, and Milly were all gone and his hands clasped to fists.

"That bastard..."

**To Be Continued**

**[.]**

**Sorry about the long hiatus, it took me just about forever to write the finishing touches to this chapter because of trying to start out 2012 in a good way. I had an awesome New Year's, and life is pretty nice right now if not eating up most of my alone time for writing.**

**I can't really say much except...I believe Sage's last line sums things up quite nicely. Spiked Silver is being a bastard right now and he captured poor Meryl! But maybe, Milly can get to Vash or someone and bring her some help! Or...or will she just be falling into his sly trap? We shall see what happens in the next chapter...**

_**Next Chapter: Spiked Silver and Vash begin their second round and this time – it will determine the fate of the former's surprising hostage.**_

_**Following Chapter: The results of the second round are revealed, but comes to a draw by an odd turn of events. And Spiked Silver and Sage's old partnership is revealed somewhat to the group.**_

**Comments and criticism welcome! Read and review!**


	10. Round Two

**.**

**A Different Kind of Love Story**

**Chapter 10: Round Two**

**.**

Milly tore out of the shop, running as fast as her legs could carry her through the city. She didn't stop for anything, the only thing that would have done that would be someone she knew and trusted in her path so that she could get them to help her save Meryl from Spiked Silver's clutches. And she also had to warn Vash about what was going on.

She panted and tried to catch her breath once rounding a familiar corner, and increased her speed as she dashed by buildings with people filling into them for some strange reason. She absolutely _needed _to find Vash, Wolfwood, Calvin, even the hotel itself! But with all of the chaos going on, she hadn't the time to carefully study the scenery of the city. Milly was almost ashamed to admit that, but it was true...

But Meryl had to be rescued before something terrible happened to her! That was the top goal right now, to save her from that crazy man's clutches!

Blood was pounding through her veins and ears, perspiration was reaching her skin, and her breath was shortening as she ran at top speed. Milly wouldn't rest, and she barely had good vision at was ahead of her. In her panic, she accidentally bumped into a passing man's chest and they both let out quick cries of shock and separated.

Her eyes widened shortly after getting a good glimpse at the man in front of her. It was...Vash! He was standing there trying to feign pain as he rubbed over the spot her skull collided with. And after several silent seconds, she caught her lost breath.

"V-Vash! Oh God, I'm so glad to see you!" Milly wiped her brow tiredly and then leaned forward, grasping a confused Vash's shoulders desperately. "It's a very long story, but please, please hear me out!"

"Milly, calm down!" Vash's expression became concerned as he grabbed her wrists and gently peeled them off. While Milly tried to compose herself, he decided to go on. "I was investigating why all these people suddenly went into buildings as if for safety. What are you doing alone?"

"Me and Meryl...we were going to try and look for you today but neither you or Mr. Wolfwood were in your hotel room...so we went out searching for you! We, we came upon a strange shop were this creepy man named Sage was selling custom guns and...and...anyway," Milly hesitated to go to the worst part of her story, but she caught her breath again and trembled as she spoke, "Spiked Silver came in very angry; Sage sensed how nervous we were and motioned for us to hide in his storage room."

This story was sounding more and more shocking as Milly went on, and her panicked and terribly frightened tone of voice only succeeded in adding dramatic effect. Vash listened closely, not wanting to miss a single detail of it.

"The storage room was dark and dreary...we tried to stay hidden and Spiked Silver came in and started yelling and being violent for some reason! He knows about you,Vash, he wants the bounty off your head and he plans to instigate a rematch – using _Meryl _as a hostage to lure you in!"

Meryl? Spiked Silver had captured Meryl? Vash didn't need to be told twice, his eyes widened and he could feel his heart beginning to pump in panic. "He kidnapped Meryl?"

"Yes! But he really doesn't care about her being, he just wants you to come and have a battle with him because he's so hungry for revenge!" Milly frantically said, she hoped that Vash understood the situation. But she had no reason to be wary, because the wanted man was extremely panicked. "We have to go help her, I'm so worried..."

"I was just about to inspect why everyone suddenly went into buildings at this time, I had been out here all morning but..." Vash collected himself, and breathed. "Honestly, I'm just as worried as you are! Come on, lead me to that shop and we may be able to corner him before he gets too far!"

"Shouldn't we get some backup? Mr. Wolfwood or Calvin?"

Vash shook his head and grabbed Milly's wrist, dragging her off with him. "There isn't enough time right now, Meryl is in danger if it's just her and Spiked Silver! I don't want her to get hurt..."

Milly, in the middle of almost sprinting to be able to keep up with Vash's pace as they tore off down the city back to that shop (it easily stood out, so Vash didn't need directions). One of her thin brown brows raised at that comment, something about it sounding as though it was implying something.

Vash obviously noticed that himself. Which was the reason he trailed off all of a sudden, trying to alter whatever he was going to state so it wouldn't imply anything else. "...You know what I'm trying to say, Milly."

"Mmm hmm. I know." Milly's lips curved to a mischievous smile despite the situation at hand. She couldn't help it, Vash was obviously panicked and concerned for her safety.

He would be for anyone, but it seemed as if this characteristic was coming out especially noticeable when it came to Meryl's safety.

Vash just remained quiet, looking away from Milly and kept his gaze locked on the ground as they ran back to that shop.

**.**

'_Okay...okay...this really isn't how I intended to spend my day. Let's just look it over and reflect: I didn't get much sleep, lost track of Vash, endured a creepy merchant flirting with me, put me and my friend in danger, and am now tied in rope with a gag over my mouth._' Meryl's brows furrowed and her eyes traveled down to survey the gag across her mouth and her arms and legs bound together by rope. Not exactly the ideal situation to be in, that was for sure. But she had to remain calm and collected.

If she could just remain positive...Milly didn't get put in the same situation at least. And if she knew the other woman right, she was probably back at the hotel recruiting help. If she failed, Vash would have to sense what was wrong and come in eventually because he...he wouldn't leave her like this.

Spiked Silver had taken Meryl out of the shop and into an alleyway in the city. Not much sunlight could shine through because it was stuck in the middle of a large saloon and the local bank. As soon as the man caught sight of Vash, he intended to get in the first shot to draw attention to himself, so that their second round could officially begin.

Meryl was sitting up against a wall, unable to move or speak. She wanted to say so many choice words to that man, she wanted to give him a good slap to the face for his actions and what he intended to use her for. But this wouldn't be possible now, not when he had her trapped like this.

A muffled sigh passed her lips and she positioned her head back against the wall of the bank. That was when she heard a faint little sound. Kind of like...an object falling into the sandy streets. As Spiked Silver was looking away from his hostage for a moment, her eyes darted around and settled to her right, only to see a small pocketknife someone left behind. It was right there at her fingers, lying in the sand.

Jackpot.

'_Maybe my luck is turning around for the better! If I can just grasp that discarded pocketknife, I can free myself and go reunite with everyone else!_' This was what Meryl tried to tell herself. But, honestly, she wasn't sure how she could grasp the convenient knife and free herself when her captor wasn't very far away, his ominous presence leaning against the wall of the saloon as his fierce eyes looked for Vash.

Meryl's fingers twitched and extended, her nails scraped the dirt and tried with much determination to reach the handle of the pocketknife. She barely dared to breathe and her eyes were locked on her captor to make sure he wasn't looking at her escape attempt.

The good news was that he didn't seem focused on her. In fact, he apparently didn't give a damn about her and vice versa. That was good...he wouldn't do anything to harmful unless Vash were to enter the scene or it he felt challenged. She had a spark of hope as her fingers rubbed across the brown handle. She had to choke back a short little cheer that probably would have drawn attention.

Yes...just a little bit more and she would have it within a good enough grasp...

"Bitch, that isn't gonna work." Meryl winced and a muffled cry of pain passed her lips when a foot slammed down onto her hand and crushed it down into the sand. She didn't need to look up to know that Spiked Silver had come closer and done this to prevent her escape. "You think you can just free yourself that easily without anyone knowing? That's ridiculous. Everyone knows you need to be quick, discreet, and cunning on this planet if you wanna have a chance at survival."

It wasn't so much his boot and foot that was on her hand and especially her knuckles. It was the freaking intense amount of pressure he was sending down onto it for good measure. Meryl shifted violently and more muffled shouts of pain and curses passed her lips only to cease once Spiked Silver removed his foot after a good number of seconds.

Pain surged through her hand, it almost felt as though her knuckles would have been crushed inward to death if he had felt in on for another full minute or two. Her eyes cracked open long enough to see that her hand was not too wounded, but there was some faint scratches and one or two blotches of blood from one open cut. Yet it felt as though it would numb soon. Through the raven bangs falling over her eyes, Meryl glowered with so much hatred at the man standing before her.

Spiked Silver, whom didn't give a damn about what she thought of the treatment, kicked up the pocketknife and caught it midair, before throwing it onto the roof of the saloon out of her reach. "I told you that if you comply, you'll survive unscratched. Continue to piss me off, you'll find yourself near death."

The cruel man dressed in silver lowered himself on a knee and grabbed the edge of Meryl's chin, so that they were both at eye level. He originally did this to make his words clear and hopefully get the point across...but he was soon frozen in mild bewilderment for a change when he realized that the look Meryl was giving him was almost the exact one Eve gave him when he tried to make her his own.

All of those times, the daughter of the hotel's owner rejected him without a second thought. It drove him mad, he always had a thing for her even since first meeting! Now time was passing by, they weren't getting any older! It seemed like he should forget her and move on with his life, but that spark reignited every damn time and caused him to fight for her. This wasn't right. Not to him at least.

**.**

Spiked Silver had a bit of reputation for choking others. Sage knew this, and he could certainly feel the pain within his throat and neck from the strength applied to it. Luckily, he was still alive and his ex-partner didn't go as hard as he usually did when angered.

But that didn't change the fact that he was a bastard whom probably captured two innocent girls who have nothing to do with him. Why couldn't he just drop all of this nonsense and turn away from leading this less than ideal and comfortable life? It really wasn't worth it.

And why did Sage care? He was cast aside for the fourth time in his life after his short-lived partnership with that man. And after all of this time, it was safe to say that he should throw away that life he led and take it nice and easy...for him, this worked out well. It's been years since he fired a gun in a confrontation, it's been years since he's traveled the planet some more. And now he was calm and collected, holding back emotions that he didn't need as he manufactured and sold custom guns.

Well, in this moment, he couldn't stop himself from worrying about the raven-haired one...Meryl. She left quite a bit of an impact from their meeting, he still felt his heart miss a beat as if to remember the smile she had expertly plastered several minutes ago at first meeting.

But he really shouldn't be acting like this right now. He told himself that he would not waste time falling for anyone ever again considering what happened the last time. The last time that he had fallen in love: him and the beauty had even gotten engaged. But he was deeply depressed after she had gotten murdered by thugs in a hostage situation a while back. Come to think of it, Meryl would look a lot like her if her hair were near shoulder-length and spiked all over. And if her skin was more tanned.

Wow, he really didn't need to think about this right now. That was more pain on top of the indescribable along his throat. Sage tried to grasp the doorknob and pull himself up, but his hand was weakened at the moment and tears threatened to blur his vision. He once again fell down onto his face and remained there for several seconds.

The pain was too much, but he had an idea he wouldn't die. He couldn't die. Specifically; he could not allow himself to die until his workings in the shadows payed off. Until he could finally bring his old partner under control of the law whether it be him or someone else to do it. Only then could he finally end everything.

For the longest time, he was treated a bit roughly by Spiked Silver. He had been treated badly by just about everybody in his life and this one was the final straw. Since escaping with injuries and forever-damaged pride to live a semi-peaceful life in this city, he has been contemplating killing himself very seriously. He had about a million rejected opportunities to take one of his guns...put it to his head...pull the trigger...and fall to the floor as the world turned to inky darkness and he was finally freed unto another place. Out of the harsh ways of the world and this awful planet.

What kept him from ending his life was Spiked Silver. He vowed years ago that he would someday arrest him or even kill him himself if absolutely necessary and there were no other options. He knew he was kidding himself and unnecessarily prolonging his useless life. And that made him even more furious and drove him to deeply think about dangerous activity.

Sage couldn't remember a time in most of his late-teenage years that he hadn't opened his bedroom window only to sat perilously on the sill and think about how long of a drop that would be. Or taking those forgotten piles of rope and tying them around his throat with force. The first time that he ever considered suicide was a time that would never leave his memory: he was one day away from his eighteenth birthday, feeling very furious and angsty after having his fill of his father's physical and emotional torment towards him, he picked up a very large kitchen knife and didn't think twice about using that to stab a non-vital spot on his hand. It felt so painful, he did loss a lot of blood before his father walked in and ruined his self-harm attempt.

Even if he hated his father, he accepted the promise about not to do that willingly again. At least until he was out in the world on his own. Talk about a great parent...

But the point is that he was serious about purposely stabbing himself to drain his blood and hopefully die. And if his father didn't walked in, you can bet that he would have stabbed his legs, his face, his heart, and any vital spot until he was drained of energy and life itself.

Right now, as he lied there on his face in pain, he couldn't help but compare this to that first time he ever realized how badly _he_ thought his _own life _was and decided to attempt suicide. He knew that if he had a gun right now, he wouldn't be hesitant in placing it to his head and blowing his-

**SLAM!**

"Follow-follow me into the storage room back there!"

That voice...it sounded like the less attractive girl that was with Meryl. So she wasn't captured as well, this was good. Sage tried to pull himself off the floor to his feet, but could only make it up to his knees when both Milly and some other shocked guy followed after her inside.

Vash gazed at the scene and was surprised to see that things didn't look too bad as he envisioned, only two bullets lied on the floor and the mysterious shopkeeper Milly described wasn't dead. But Spiked Silver and Meryl were not even there!

Milly breathed deeply, her panic and worry increased as she got mental pictures of horrible situations poor Meryl could be in right now. It was awful. She turned to Vash, looking utterly clueless. "I don't know where he took Meryl now! They could be anywhere in this city!" She and Vash looked down, finally realizing Sage's presence at long last. "Sage! He's still alive!"

"I shouldn't be..." Sage grumbled and tried to stand up, but his knees began to give away, and was soon caught by Vash and Milly. They began to ask him questions, he wasn't even paying attention to them. "Let go of me...I can stand up myself."

"...No, you're not in good condition from where Spiked Silver attempted to strangle you." Milly stated, lowering herself to her knees and closely inspecting the dark color on his neck. He could have easily been killed, and Sage didn't even seem affected by that fact! "Please, you've got to let us-"

"Milly's right, no one in this city should have to suffer again. That includes you." Interjected Vash, he lowered himself to the floor as well and attempted to hold him by his shoulders. But Sage merely refused to be aided. It was as if...he wanted to suffer. "Listen to us, we want to help. There's something not right going on here, we've got to do anything we can."

At long last, Sage managed to stagger himself up to his feet, but it was done awkwardly and he almost fell over at one point. He ignored all of Vash and Milly's warnings as they got up as well to attempt to help. And they were becoming equally confused and irritated by this.

But they couldn't leave him just yet, he saw most of the scene and he may know something about the man dressed in silver. If he would stop being lost within his actions of willingly suffering pain, and talk to them. Maybe he would be in a better situation and they could all rescue Meryl.

Vash noticed the man's features and appearance. Noting that he did look a bit familiar. With his light shoulder-length blond hair, silver glasses, faded scars running from his neck to the corner of his right eye. He would look about the same as a person he once encountered years ago if he wasn't wearing those simple brown and blue clothes.

But he dismissed these thoughts as he noticed the man, Sage, walk over to where some of his custom-made guns were resting on a shelf. As if the man was within a trance, he grabbed a random one and studied it very intensely.

And then proceeded to place it to his head. His fingers were slowly inching closer towards the trigger.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Vash and Milly screamed, noticing this. They rushed over to either side of him in panic, and he noticed them and shook his head before lowering the gun.

"I can't deal with this anymore..." Was Sage's reply. He didn't even sound like he did earlier, his tone was so low and each word held so much depression in them. Milly was stunned at the change, she pulled the gun away from his shaky grasp and shoved it back onto the shelf while she had the chance. "I tried for so long, all these years. I couldn't do anything. Spiked Silver is back in my life, the only girl I ever loved is at his mercy, I was weak in protecting her, and now-"

"Get a hold of yourself!" Milly interrupted, her eyes began to tear up fearfully as she grasped the man's shoulders. She didn't like where this was going, and didn't even have an idea as to what might happen to him or Meryl. "We've come back here to find Meryl and help you! We can stop Spiked Silver, I believe Mr. Vash is strong enough-"

"Vash..." Sage almost mechanically turned his head to a bewildered Vash, it was so creepy. But he smiled sadly as he met his eyes. And those light blue eyes were hazy with emotion. "It is you. The one who fucked up my life even more."

"Stop talking like this, you sound like you just switched to one of your _multiple personalities_ or something!"

"There's no reason for me to live any longer. I see no hope now. Everything is finally merging into a nightmare." His weak hand reached for the gun back on the shelf, Milly just cried out in protest and smacked his hand away as Vash tried to restrain him. "Let go of me, both of you. Let me end it now! Before it gets worse!"

"You can't do this!"

"Please, stop this, Sage! Hear us out!"

"GET THE HELL AWAY FROM ME."

"We can help you, and you can help us! Stop this insanity!"

"Mr. Vash is right! Stop it!"

"One bullet is all I need before it's light's out forever! I need to get out!"

The two continued to restrain a fighting back Sage whom was really hellbent on killing himself. Neither understood what was wrong, it seemed so sudden how he wanted to do this and for _what reason_? Vash could only assume that maybe he had some mental problems, Milly could only assume that he was just simply suicidal for some unknown reasons.

Neither wanted to see someone like this, it just wasn't right! And they needed him in this moment, he was one of the few people to have been with Spiked Silver closely so he could provide help. But the man kept shouting nonsense about how horrible his life is and that he wants out of it forever, and that it was all thanks to his screwed up father, Spiked Silver, and Vash.

Right now, somewhere in this city, a friend was in serious trouble and it was all because of him. Vash knew that dealing with a suicidal Sage was only wasting their time, but he didn't want to see him kill himself without even giving much reason as to why. And it didn't matter how bad things were, would it really solve anyone's problems to take the easy way out of it?

Even if it was slowing them down, protecting anyone's life remained important to him. In order to make him calm down for a short while, Vash hesitantly knocked him out and he slipped into unconsciousness. He knew that he would awaken sooner or later, because he didn't smack anything vital.

Then, since they wouldn't be getting any information out of him, Vash grabbed an arm of the unconscious man and raised him to his head to where he lied motionless over his shoulder. He and Milly both agreed to go out into the city and scout around for the man dressed in silver and the insurance girl.

It was a good thing that Milly was with him, she knew of Spiked Silver's plan and she revealed to Vash what he was doing. This way, he wouldn't fall head first into a trap. They could have the upper hand against him now because they knew what to expect. Sage was a bit of a load they had to carry – both figuratively and literally – but it didn't matter, seeing as though he was so hellbent on ending his life.

**.**

'_I have a bad feeling..._' The dishes that were being washed at the moment were dropped back to the sink in water and bubbles. Calvin quickly wiped his hands on a rag hanging nearby and began to walk aimlessly around as more of a bad feeling washed over him. '_Why has no one returned back to the hotel? This city doesn't offer much entertainment, and there's no way that anyone left without gathering their luggage. Maybe..._'

Something bad was happening somewhere. That could easily be it.

It would explain why no one returned back to the hotel yet. It would also explain why he had a bad feeling. Maybe they're being hassled by Spiked Silver, or maybe something else was going on that was equally important if not more.

He wanted to go out and search himself, but what about Eve? She was still ill at the moment and certainly couldn't hold her own in a violent confrontation whether healthy or not. She needed to be protected in a frail state.

Calvin contemplated what to do for several seconds, near a minute. But rather than getting any ideas, he came up with zero plans.

If only he was good with guns, or any kind of weapon. But that just wasn't his style, he wasn't the type of guy for violence and it wasn't that he detested it...he just was far too easy-going and wanted nothing more for peace and acceptance in this world. That wasn't something which could be achieved easily.

Running into thugs could be an everyday situation in this city – considering what awful shape it was in. Calvin cast that thought aside, and soon wiped his soapy hands again and was out the door in seconds. Eve out of his mind.

Because he had previously found the key to the room and locked her in there. So she could get some rest and there was no chance of her getting out of that. Hey, sometimes people just have to be cruel to be kind in these times.

**.**

"WHERE THE HELL COULD HE BE?" Meryl's eyes widened when a foot stomped onto her hand again. She could feel the pain surging before it was beginning to numb. What had she done to deserve this treatment? It wasn't her fault that Vash hadn't come looking for him yet!

And if the gag wasn't on her lips, she would use so much vulgar words and comments directed at the insane man that it would be unbelievable! If she wasn't tied up and being hoisted around like a sack of food, she would be whipping out her guns and or slapping his face. He could use it.

They had probably been in the alley for several minutes, the ropes were really tight and felt like they could cut off her blood circulation. Every time a full minute would pass, just like earlier, Spiked Silver never failed to be on time with either kicking her ribs a good time or crushing her hand like he did when she reached for that pocketknife.

All she could do was sit there helplessly and wait for Vash, whom she wanted to believe she didn't need all the time no matter what the situation. It seemed as if her main goal in life was to deny that she needed him. But somewhere, she knew that this was far from accurate.

In the most dangerous and hopeless of situations, he was the one person whom she hoped to be with. Even if he got on her nerves or purposely did something ridiculous. She wanted to be at his side and surprisingly safe from the world.

As his foot retreated from her numb hand, a teardrop formed in her eye and began to trickle down. Meryl lied her head back against the wall and slumped, fingers curled and dug into the sandy ground. And pretty soon, more tears began to follow. She was sure Spiked Silver wasn't looking at her, and he probably wouldn't give a damn if he did see her like this.

She just wanted to get out of this chaos. She wanted Vash out of this chaos too.

When Meryl gradually opened her eyes again, blinking to clear her tears, the first thing that she noticed was Spiked Silver leaning against the wall, looking out into the city as the most smug grin she had ever seen appeared on his face. That could only mean one thing...Vash had come.

Vash had come...Vash was here...here...

She needed to warn him that it was all a trap! Meryl struggled to stand, all of her yells were just muffled by both the gag and her captor turning his head and cursing at her in an attempt to get her to shut up.

"Meryl! Meryl, we're here to help you!" And, no mistake, Milly was there with him. She released a sigh, but still was worried about what might happen next. Hopefully, Milly explained to Vash that this entire capture was staged.

When Meryl looked up to see Vash and Meryl run over looking frantic, yet relieved to see her still alive and not quite as beaten as the former expected, a light of hope had flared. But it wouldn't last long, when Spiked Silver would take a step forward and block her friends off.

"Well, well, I was beginning to think you'd never show." Spiked Silver began, his tone was so arrogant, as if he was sure the outcome of round two would go his way. He would get his revenge, he would give Vash had he supposedly had coming.

Once catching his breath, Vash merely replied, "Yeah, there was a bit of a distraction back at that gun shop."

"I would think so." If she could see his face, Meryl was sure he would be losing his smug grin to a furious look. One that didn't fail to make her flinch at least a little. "But I hate when my opponents arrive too late. Pisses me off."

Meryl didn't need to see their faces to know that her friends' relieved expressions were faltering. It was all evident with the tone in Vash's voice when he submissively asked, "What do you want from us?"

'_Vash, he wants you dead. All because of his stupid gun you destroyed at first encounter. If I could, I'd attack this bastard from a blind spot...but I can't..._' Tears were welling in her eyes once again as this thought dared to pass through her mind. Meryl fought them back and let her stoic face remain indifferent. It was all she could do now. '_I believe you can do something. I shouldn't be crying over this, you always find a way out. Isn't that how it has always worked in past events? Yes, yes I must not break._'

"Unless you want your woman to have her brains blown out right here and right now," For attempted dramatic purposes and nothing more, Spiked Silver slid back against the wall, leaving in a cool position and revealing Meryl still sitting there tied and gagged, face streaked with barely-noticeable tears. "You, Vash The Stampede, will confront me again one-on-one just as we did the other day."

"How do you-" That was a stupid question on second thought. He was about to ask how did he know his identity, but Vash broke that off. He then substituted that question with, "Why are you so determined to battle? And why do you have to bring Meryl into this?"

"Could've used either of the two, but this one gave me a certain vibe. The way she talked about you, I sensed something and knew you'd come for her quicker."

"I don't know what you're trying to imply, but let me talk to her for a second."

"Hmmph. You're stupid if you can stand there and say that. I know what you're tryin' to do; you'll free her yourself and then escape."

"No..." Vash shook his head, Meryl and Milly could only stare in shock at what he was saying. Would he seriously bother to fight this guy who could easily do something crazy? "We'll still fight, but I need to speak with her for a moment."

He didn't bother to contemplate how to respond to that. But it was unlikely he would ever get to the match if he didn't let Vash see the bitch. So Spiked Silver merely nodded without a word and walked out from between the two buildings, he leaned against the door to the tiny bank and began to count down the time.

"Milly," Vash turned to Milly, lowering his voice so that his soon-to-be-opponent couldn't overhear. "Don't get involved. What I want you to do is go to the hospital we dropped Sage off at, and then make him talk when he awakens."

Milly didn't like the sound of that, she wanted to be around to help Vash in case things got unexpectedly rough. But when she saw the look in his eyes, she decided it was best not to argue. "I just don't understand why he was acting suicidal, he seemed so in control when we talked to him." She whispered back, her voice managed to crack very slightly as she recalled how crazy Sage had acted when they arrived for help.

"You can get him to explain himself, I know it." It looked as if Milly wasn't convinced, but then Vash gave her a hollow smile as if to convince her that she could.

Milly didn't say anything else. Her hands retreated out from her coat where she had been reaching for her gun, and she quickly scurried away from the scene back into the direction of the hospital. She felt worried, like she really should be there to help. The last thing that she saw when turning her head was Spiked Silver grimacing, Meryl still tied up watching everything intently, and Vash walking into the small little so-called alley.

She released a breath and picked up her pace, back to the hospital. Hoping that Vash and Meryl would be alright.

Once she was far away, near out of sight, Vash turned to look into Spiked Silver's slight-narrowing sapphire eyes. "Are you actually decent enough to let me talk with Meryl?"

"She's of no use to me anymore." Spiked Silver replied dryly, it was clear in his cold eyes that Meryl meant nothing. Vash was relieved by this, he almost believed that he would change his mind and never release her...maybe take out all of his frustrations on her since he couldn't have the woman he really wanted. "If you dare to take her somewhere safe, if you dare to slip away yourself, you're dead."

"I understand."

Vash's walking pace towards Meryl began slowly as he tried to get used to the heavy stare of the other man. He felt like he would get shot at the slightest action that was not agreed with. But gradually, his speed increased and he lowered himself to his knees in front of her, carefully removing the gag that sealed her lips.

Once the gag was off and back to the ground, Meryl released a long breath and then sighed as she met Vash's eyes. She wanted to say something, anything. Tell him that she was so relieved he came, tell him that she didn't want him to risk his life or waste time with the cruel man. No matter what she made her mind to say, her mouth wouldn't comply.

She was soon lost in Vash's eyes, it wasn't long before a smile curved on her lips. And the moment itself was strangely hard to put into words. Even if she wished to speak, maybe there was no reason to.

Since she wouldn't, Vash decided to talk, "Meryl, you're going to be safe. Milly told me everything; Spiked Silver's motives and what he wants."

It took seconds, but Meryl managed to rid her smile off her face and she found her voice again. "Don't do anything stupid, we can run away faster than-"

"I'm not running away."

"Why not...?"

"He won't leave any of us alone until he gets what he wants."

Meryl scoffed. "What he wants is you _dead_."

"And that can be arranged..." Meryl could feel her eyes widening as soon as he said that. Not only that, but they were becoming a bit moist with fresh tears threatening to spill at the mere thought. Vash seemed very serious in this moment, he averted his gaze too.

And then, Vash put on a smile and leaned closer to her ear, whispering, "...By faking a death scene."

"You're such an idiot." Meryl closed her eyes irritatedly and turned her rested head away, but she was sure that the smile on her lips was giving away her real thoughts about him being safe after all. It was too obvious, far more than what she would have liked.

"When I have to be." Vash's finger reached up to the tears that had turned against her and were spilling, wiping them away. For a brief moment, they two locked eyes again and remained so close, both struggling so hard to not do something like...

Like...

Well...what happened that one night after that 'date' at the bar in another town. The event that the both of them were a little too nervous to speak of even now. It would not be appropriate.

The sexual tension was high, Spiked Silver could easily since that. Hell, anyone miles away could! He was near the point of shouting at his soon-to-be-opponent to quit holding a romantic gaze with his bitch and to face him. But before he could open his mouth, Vash already stood back to his feet and left Meryl only to return to where he stood at first arrival.

"There won't be any rules to this, but I'm sure you understand that only one of us can still be on our feet." Spiked Silver brought out his new gun, it's umber body gleamed in the light. Or that was how Meryl saw it at least when she managed to crane her neck to look around the corner. The cruel man walked closer to Vash, standing a reasonable distance away and assuming a threatening position. "I do have a condition."

"Which is?" Vash whipped out his own gun as well, readying himself. But Meryl knew that he would try anything to not have to kill the man. Even if he was annoying, cruel, and should really be arrested.

"If I win – which I'm sure of – then you will be turned in for God knows how long and I'll get all the money I'll ever need."

"What happens if I win?"

"You win, I'll back off and leave this damn city."

This could be the chance that Vash was waiting for. Upon hearing these conditions, he saw his chance flashing right up. All he had to do was win, and then Spiked Silver would be gone for hopefully good. Either way, things could work out and he wondered if the man dressed in silver realized what he was doing to himself.

If Spiked Silver did win, he would turn him in and get all the money he would ever need. The key here is that he would no longer need the payment he wants from _Eve's father_. He should forget about that payment, and his daughter, and go off elsewhere on the planet. Even if he was thrown into jail, looking over at Meryl, Vash was positive that he wouldn't be in there for long because she would do anything to get him out.

The plan seemed _flawless_.

"We should make this more interesting." Vash suddenly mentioned, trying not to smile knowingly as he spoke. Because he was sure that this plan could work. "If you win, you have the liberty of turning me in. You'll also have all the money you ever need, you won't even have to stick around in Ember Walls. You win, you leave the city."

For once, Spiked Silver didn't have an argument to that statement, judging by his expression, he seemed to seriously contemplate this for a moment. He knew that he didn't like this city, he didn't want to keep coming back but it was his desire for both his payment and Eve that kept that going.

It was true that he wouldn't need to stick around or endure so much rejection from Eve. If he had that many double dollars, he'd be in great shape and could do whatever the hell he wanted. Maybe find a woman who didn't haunt his mind and drive him so insane like that cold Eve did.

Now that he thought about it, Vash's conditions seemed reasonable. Arrogant like always, Spiked Silver knew that he would win. He knew that this would work. Just like every other fight he had ever been in, although his expectations have not been accurate a lot of times which overpowered the times he was correct.

Meanwhile, Meryl smiled and could feel her pumping heart returning to normal. Now she wasn't worried, this could all work out after Vash offered a hint as to what he was trying to pull off. It seemed like he was thinking about losing purposely, acting out his demise so that Spiked Silver would be fooled, turn him in to this city's laughably awful jail, and get out of everyone's life forever.

That could seriously work. If Vash pulled it off correctly. But unlike every other time he was up to something crazy, Meryl was not worried in the slightest. She believed he would be okay, which was a huge comfort for her.

"Your terms are tempting, Vash The Stampede. But I'm the kind of guy who despises turning away at gambling." Spiked Silver nodded during a pause, although that damn smug smirk had yet to disappear. And neither Vash or Meryl expected it to. "Very well: I'll turn you in after I _win_, I'll take my payment and leave this city with no reason to ever come back. I hate this damn crumbling city anyway."

"Will you put Eve in the past where she belongs?"

"Hmmph. You never mentioned her to begin with."

"Consider this a price to pay. Listen to what I have to say for a moment: sometimes, in life, there are things that should be focused on. Some things, they belong in your past and should _stay there_."

Spiked Silver didn't seem to listen to Vash seriously. Instead, he shot his first bullet which looked, by calculations, would hit him right in the jaw. All he and Meryl could see was it fly right by his head, but it didn't even look as if Vash _moved_.

Time for the oblivious, amazingly invincible act. Vash wore a disapproving look at first, before sighing and then gracefully and gradually moving out of the way of every single bullet that Spiked Silver fired. He had been trying to tell hm to put Eve in the past, she belonged there. Because she didn't matter.

Eve would matter, but under certain conditions. He would have all of the double dollars he would ever need to survive, he could go terrorize another place. Because he has caused enough pain for Ember Walls, Vash gathered that all of the citizens had suddenly rushed to get inside of homes or buildings of refuge because of him and all the other evil people passing through. The only reason Spiked Silver seemed to stay here was due to the fact he long ago wished to have her in exchange for a payment her father owned him for destroying something.

He couldn't possibly love her. If Spiked Silver truthfully felt this way underneath it all, why would he want her to live such a horrible life in fear? Why would he want her to be unhappy with him, her only goal in life to basically be a piece of his property as a sex object?

Those were questions Vash didn't know the answers for. Nevertheless, he continued to throw some realization at the one attacking him with barrages of bullets just as he had during the first time they encountered yesterday.

Vash finally began to seemingly grow tired of acting nonchalant this way, he finally stopped and carefully thought of how to play along and shoot as well, but not give him deep injuries or kill him. Even if he did have this coming – as others have said before (Eve, Calvin, and Wolfwood respectfully). He found some openings to do so, in record time, and then drew out his gun once again.

He didn't expect Spiked Silver to shout, "Damn it, who says I'll ever put Eve in the past?" He then started firing several bullets, all coming too fast and loud straight for Vash, but he merely jumped out of harm at the perfect second.

Which was played off with a joking comment of: "Can you actually aim that clunky gun?"

And that caused the cruel man's rage to swell and increase, a wide range of emotions seemed to run through his eyes as he shot after the legendary gunman whom darted around shooting back and purposely missing, crying out in fake fear sometimes before going right back to arguing that he didn't need Eve.

Meryl watched it all, trying not to shout out anything. She didn't need Spiked Silver to hear and shoot at _her_ instead. She didn't want to die right then. Not before she could...no...now wasn't the time to be thinking about that. She wouldn't know how to realize or put that into words. She was faintly worried, although there was no reason to be. Vash knew _exactly _what he was doing right to the point of knowing how the round will conclude.

Vash didn't have much time to fire any bullets once Spiked Silver had enough of this shit and began to really attack with several bullets being shot in near every direction. Whatever kind of gun he had, it was disturbingly hard to counter in a situation like this! Yet, Vash managed to remain unharmed, he jumped around, occasionally taking cover behind the alleyway or a bench or stand. It didn't matter where he darted to, there was always multiple bullets basically raining over that area with deadly accuracy.

It seemed Spiked Silver was still on edge and had no problem with being bold. In the process of trying to overkill, he was actually leaving a lot of blind spots open for attack, and he truly _did not _have the upper hand. If anything, Vash had the biggest advantage in the fight because he was fast, scarily accurate no matter what the situation, and he always was thinking up strategies at an impossible speed. Should he want to, he could _murder_ Spiked Silver right now.

But he couldn't bring himself to do this to anyone.

So Vash chose to play along and just stick with taking shelter and pretending to be aiming for his enemy only to miss. This carried on for several seconds, probably near a full minute. He assumed that the man dressed in silver would have to give up, but he always had more bullets to reload with.

Meryl watched as Vash bolted around the area, stopping only to fire a few purposely missing shots at his enemy. Each of the bullets whizzed right past Spiked Silver's head as he feigned irritation with his "horrible aim". Spiked Silver was having enough of this again, he really started coming after Vash, actually following after him as he ran.

"Vash!" Yes, Vash had a plan. But seeing him in a potentially dangerous situation was more than enough to get her worries increased. Meryl's eyes were glued to the scene of the fight, darting around to see Vash scale walls, race circles around his enemy, and even jump from rooftop to rooftop.

He did this all with such ease, the kind of ease Spiked Silver was pissed off with. He wasn't quite as, well, anywhere near his league for he was a mere human. He could only stand there, chase, or jump a fair distance with limits holding him back. Meryl wished that she didn't have to be tied up like a typical damsel in distress, she would have _freaking loved _to maybe toss some of the nearby barrels in the back of that asshole's head.

Just as Calvin had once did for her and Vash that night at the bar when things got...heated in more ways than one. Man, if Calvin were here now, she could only imagine how different this situation would be. He would probably tell Spiked Silver where he could go for putting Eve through so much trouble, for putting this entire city into trouble. And then, he would regain his cool and easy-going self to dodge out of harms way and help untie her from the tight ropes.

All Meryl could do was sit there and believe Vash had planned this out to a T.

**.**

Sage was still unconscious, lying in the rustic bed of the small hospital. His hair was going in every direction, his glasses removed and lying on a table; revealing his pale complexion and fatigue visible underneath his eyes. His features void of any expression. And bruises around his neck.

Looking over him were Milly and a nurse whom looked to be in her forties. Of course, the nurse had informed her that she didn't have to stay, Milly refused the offer and knew it was best to remain here until Sage awoke to get information from him. If she could.

The two were surprised to see the door to the room creak open. Milly and the nurse looked up from the apparently suicidal store owner as their visitor stepped into the room.

"Pardon the intrusion, I'm looking for a friend of mine."

Milly's grim face lit up immediately at sight of their visitor.

**.**

Luckily the buildings were positioned so close together, this made traveling the rooftops easier than usual. Spiked Silver obviously was hesitating trying to get to higher ground, probably didn't have the sense of balance or agility and was too prideful to admit those faults. This was what Vash assumed by the way he remained on the ground and fired from there.

It wasn't too difficult for Vash to run around and dodge everything, though there were few moments he nearly did get hit. Most of those 'few' consisted of fake-outs however.

The way Spiked Silver fought could only be described as rash, quick, ready to have a bloodfest and not stop to make strategies. His downfall was diving head first and not giving a fuck about what may happen. Should Vash really want to, killing wouldn't have been difficult. However, that was the catch: Vash would not kill anyone. So the only way he could settle everything, the only way he could help out Eve and everyone in this city, was to fake a defeat so Spiked Silver would turn him in to get what he desired so much. Cash and nothing else.

If he stuck to the terms of the round.

'_There has to be a perfect moment to fake my demise...but when..._' Vash was quick to dodge the several bullets heading straight for him in a blur, he took shelter behind a large chimney and reloaded his gun to fire some near his opponent to make him think he was still interested. '_I can't keep this going too long, it will attract attention and that's the last thing we need. People getting involved when they shouldn't, it would be hard to protect everyone from his wrath. Some kind of moment..._'

When there were small gaps of time in between the predictable barrages of bullets, Vash knew something wasn't quite right. So to ensure that the round lasted and he regained interest in it, he fired some more maybe a few inches away from the cruel man dressed in silver. He didn't need to turn his head to know that all of the bullets either landed inches from his feet, perfectly missing his head, and embedding within the sandy streets. Again, he could hear Spiked Silver curse and reload once more, just as he started to rise to his feet, more bullets were being fired all over the roof he was at, some penetrating the chimney slightly.

Now he was getting somewhere. Blocking any attempt Vash could use to slip out. Maybe this was just chance to feign his defeat! It was coming together now! In a blur, bullets scattered over the rooftops leaving marks and holes, Vash finally bolted from his protection and swiftly leaped from it to the next rooftop, he could see the ugly scowl deepen on his face.

"Bastard, why won't you just stay still!" Spiked Silver hollered, heaving the umber gun, which was being abused and almost near the breaking point, away for a second to reload. He always carried several bullets with him to ensure he wouldn't be defeated in a match. "Damn Sage for making this shit so horribly! Havin' to reload every freakin' second is just not right! Maybe I should've killed him off after all..."

Vash, whom had aimed his gun back at him, paused momentarily wearing a fake blissfully innocent expression. "You want me to not run around? That can be arranged."

"Now we're getting' somewhere!" The last bullet was shoved into the compartment, Spiked Silver slammed the hinge back and aimed the heavy, umber gun at the rooftop of the bank where Vash was...supposedly.

Except, Vash was not there anymore. Spiked Silver stared, glaring at the empty rooftop. Before he heard a familiar voice give a 'tsk tsk' and he felt a gun press into the side of his head.

Meryl looked on at the scene from where she was left. Her fingers rapidly struggled and pulled at the ropes, hoping to get out. But she couldn't find a breakthrough, and she was forced to watch all of this. She knew this was all of Vash's plan, she just knew it. But watching Vash in any kind of danger wasn't a pleasant moment at all. It felt like her body was tense and her throat dry as she panicked, she couldn't let him die before anything was said. Or done. Or one of the other so she wouldn't have to live with trying to deny it.

"Never let your guard down, man. That's one of the worst mistakes you can commit while trying to get revenge." Vash taunted, keeping a straight face as he held the gun close to his opponent's face and used his other hand to get ahold of his strange, custom-made gun. Spiked Silver wasn't intimidated, just pissed off beyond belief at the turn of events.

They remained in this position for a few brief moments, it wasn't long before Spiked Silver snapped like Vash was hoping for and let out some kind of angrish comment that he couldn't understand much less attempt to. All that he was aware of afterward was that Spiked Silver had grabbed his gun and tossed it back into the alley, Meryl had managed to lower her head to dodge and it landed near her without firing – thankfully.

Before Vash could react, Spiked Silver had turned the tables (at least, that's what he was being led to believe for now until he faked his defeat) and was soon shoved to the ground, a foot stepping onto his chest to hopefully keep him there. The clunky umber gun that seemed to be losing it's glory more and more was hovering over his face and his green eyes were fixated on it, waiting to fake this.

"You're the one who left your guard down! Know, Vash The Stampede, I'm going to just shoot you to death and get my payment so I can leave...and I think I'll see you in hell later on. We'll have an eternal round there."

With that evilly said in a lowered tone, Spiked Silver's fingers inched closer to the trigger. The silence so intense, one could hear the drop of a pen.

**To Be Continued**

**.**

**Jeez, three months pass by so fast. I apologize for randomly disappearing from this story, my only explanation for this is that I have been writing this chapter since the last day of January. During this time, I had to rewrite stuff that did not seem right or anywhere near decent writing and I had to take a ton of breaks during the interesting parts – thereby losing the feel of the moment once I returned.**

**But what urged me to write the rest of this out were three different songs I listened to on different parts of the story: I listened to the opening to the Trigun anime (one of the most epic ones I have ever heard in my anime experience), Riot by Three Days Grace, and Blow Me Away by Breaking Benjamin. If you haven't listened to any of these three, I strongly insist you do; they all kick ass! ^_^**

**Don't worry, we will find out what happens in the next chapter, you get a small cliffhanger at the moment. Because that's just the way I role when it comes to endings.**

_**Next Chapter: The results of the second round are revealed, but it comes to a draw by an odd turn of events. And Spiked Silver and Sage's old partnership is revealed somewhat to the group.**_

_**Following chapter: Time skips ahead to the following day. Spiked Silver is nowhere to be found, Vash is in jail, and Calvin is investigating and plotting. With Wolfwood and Milly elsewhere on a date together, it's just Meryl and Eve and the two girls must make an attempt to settle any hostility between them...by working together to bail out Vash.**_

**Read and review!**

**~MidnightSakuraBlossom**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: _I never have, do not, and never_ will own the fantastic anime/manga series; Trigun.**

**But I would _love_ to.**

**-MidnightSakuraBlossom**

**.**

**A Different Kind of Love Story**

**Chapter 11**

**.**

Coming to, Sage moaned in pain and his eyes fought to stay open. His vision was blurred and his neck stiff and feeling almost numb. But when he heard a familiar female voice hit his ears, he was immediately curious about what was going on.

He slowly raised himself to a sitting position in the bed, the thin and clean sheets fell somewhat and he felt a chill in the room. But soon, he blinked repeatedly and looked around at the unfamiliar surroundings. The last thing he recalled when he had somehow blacked out was his shop and shouting about wanting to end it all while Milly and another guy he barely knew of put down his attempts.

Now he was in a small room, the palls painted white and the floor rustic and wooden. There was a window with sunlight streaming through, another bed alongside his by a few centimeters, and a thin curtain pulled away from the beds. He looked off to the corner of the room and the first thing he noticed was Milly speaking to some guy who looked like a priest.

There was no way this was his shop...maybe this was the local hospital? That theory made sense, but Sage was far too dazed to really care where he was at the moment. He just wanted everyone to shut up and have that light stop burning his eyeballs.

"He's awake! Mr. Wolfwood, this is Sage, the shopkeeper I was telling you about!"

Next thing he knew, Milly and this Wolfwood guy were at either side of him looking over and making sure he was safe and sound, not injured in any way from that demon Spiked Silver or by his means of self harm. But he seemed to okay, other than a deep bruise around his throat and some cuts on his hands and upper arm which were bandaged up to prevent more bleeding and clotting of the wounds.

"Do you remember what brought you here?" Milly asked slowly, leaning forward and looking at Sage with brown eyes full of concern. She hated seeing injured people it really lowered her spirits to think this stuff had to happen. But she remained strong. "Please, answer me. Sage..."

"I...don't know why or how I'm here." Sage lied back against the pillows, starring up at the ceiling. He released a sigh, whispering with angst, "Though it would have been better for me to take my life and leave this hell."

Acting as if she had not heard the last part, Milly stood back upright and shifted her attention to Wolfwood with a small, dazzling smile. "Mr. Wolfwood, would you please get something for him? He sounds a little hoarse."

He could never react to that dazzling smile of hers. Merely nodding, Wolfwood turned and exited the hotel room to go fetch the water. But he wasn't unknowing, he perfectly heard what Sage said and he couldn't approve of leaving them alone. Milly would have insisted he leave in some subtle way, however.

When the door closed, Milly looked over at Sage. Her brows knitted together and her face was grim. "Sage, I brought you here myself. Right now, Mr. Vash is fighting Spiked Silver because he successfully kidnapped Meryl and is using her as a pawn to lure...he knows how they feel about each other. Anyway, I'm safe and sound...but you almost weren't."

"I remember I was lying on the floor of my shop thinking about my life in general. Everything afterward is cloudy and a blur." Sage reached his arms around his long blond hair, gathering it all before taking a holder from the pocket of his shirt and fixing it in a messy ponytail. The room was suddenly very warm as Milly's expression was one of doubt. "Seriously, I remember nothing. All I know is I was in severe pain after Spiked Silver left me to suffer. He's a bastard, of course, but it does make me feel better to know Meryl is still alive."

"Sage, I'm deeply concerned about you." Milly didn't want to continue, but she looked Sage right in the eyes and leaned closer for good measure as she stated, "Me and Mr. Vash where their at the shop when we found you in pain on the floor finally awake. But you...you started acting with great depression and talked of horrible things! And to finish this off, you kept reaching for a gun to use on yourself!" Tears of fear welled in her brown eyes. Milly sniffled and rubbed them away. "It was so _scary_, I thought you would so serious harm if we weren't there!"

Sage wasn't very affected by her concern. While she delicately wiped the tears, he rested chin on his palms and kept his lowered gaze on the clean bed covers. "Why are you so concerned for me? As far as we know, we're total strangers. I hardly think it's fitting."

"I wouldn't want _anyone _to end their own life! It's too horrible and senseless!"

"Suicide is a delicate subject for most, but it is...truthfully..." Sage's tone lowered, he almost coughed severely. Maybe the need of water wasn't entirely a white lie. "Um, well, something I have always faced since I was only a teenager."

There was a silence. During of which Milly stared with shock and Sage struggled to find more words to explain the situation.

"I've always found self harm tempting after my dad turned basically I awoke in the morning feeling worthless, wondering why I was conscious. Sometimes I sat on the window sill of my room with new scars on my arms as I calculated how high of a drop that would be. And, at one important moment, I nearly died from blood loss after experimenting an attempt. So...even now...I feel like I'm all alone and worth nothing."

More silence filled the room. But that was soon ruined when the door opened back up and Wolfwood stepped in with a glass of water in hand. He noticed how grim the two looked, he almost wondered what he missed. But what they didn't know, was that he heard the last part Sage had brought up. About almost dying of blood loss from an experimented suicide attempt.

The priest made his way across the room and placed the clear glass in his outstretched hand. While Sage weakly downed the cool, refreshing liquid, Milly had randomly started welling with tears and arose from the stool nearby to embrace him fearfully.

Sage looked up at the scene, stealing glances at Milly crying softly and quietly into the unfamiliar man's chest for some reason. Over him, he assumed and also despised. Wolfwood was caught off guard by the random move, but he was prompt in providing comfort for her by rubbing her shoulders and upper back, returning the embrace.

The two of them were involved, at least, that was what Sage believed as he witnessed the two. He could just feel the love from them both and was nothing short of envious. The first time he ever fell in love was going to mark the literal last time for that as he wanted to never do it again. The girl used to be his rival when they were kids and competed over almost everything, though he gradually developed a crush on her. Ah, she was tomboy-ish, brash, cutely pouty, and he was always her pawn in a scheme.

The relationship was doomed from the start.

"...I shouldn't have left you two alone. What the hell did he say before that stuff about feeling like he's alone and worth nothing?"

"He..." Milly looked into Wolfwood's slightly narrowing, questioning eyes. She wiped the tears away and sniffled one last time. "It's just...he wasn't acting like himself when me and Mr. Vash burst into the shop. He was so different, possessed, wanting to kill himself. That frightens me so much, Mr. Wolfwood."

Now he understood where she was coming from. It must have been a personal fear of self harm and the like which frightened Milly.

Boldly, Wolfwood met the man's hazed eyes. Speaking with a cold tone, he asked, "Do you really think killing yourself would solve all of your problems? If we left you alone, are just going to not learn anything at all?"

"I have no idea what you're implying. I just want out of this chaos, that's it." Sage muttered in response, he didn't seem to care that Milly was fearful and Wolfwood was not going to let him get away with his grim wants so easily. He lied back on the bed and stared at the ceiling with vast emotions clouding his eyes. "My past wasn't exactly a great one. The present makes me dread what will happen tomorrow. And the future...I don't want to know. Period. If you hadn't saved my life, I would have finally died a reasonable death like I obviously should do."

"By killing yourself?" Wolfwood snapped. Sage was merely silent and didn't reply in the moment. So the priest glared and softly pushed away his girlfriend for a moment to deal with this guy. "My friends saved your ass, you should be grateful! Besides, you're not useless, we need you tell us all you know about this Spiked Silver guy!"

That name really hit home. And in the back of his mind, Sage recalled some times when he followed him across this wasteland of a planet. Times when he was treated like shit, he could never do anything right in his traveling companion's eyes, and he had so many near death experiences because the guy was a cold bastard who only wanted to see destruction and didn't try to save him when the situation got heated up.

Perhaps...this was why he couldn't see any joy or gratitude in being rescued for the first time. But Sage thought of himself as worthless scum, he always had since he was basically rejected by his father and the girl he loved slipped from his grasp. With no one there on his side, with no one to be there and tell him he was worth something and should live his life to the fullest...he just grew depressed and bitter underneath a creepy and sophisticated facade.

Even now, he felt like he was slipping into one of those moments where he lost sanity. When he would do anything possible to end his sorry life. Remove one useless existence from this planet before it got any worse on him. Inside, he was just broken beyond repair. Sage did not. He did not want to help them period.

All he wanted...was to die. The past was done and over, and there was no changing the awful way it climaxed. The present was bitter and lonely, full of whining and bitching about wanting out and the fact he could never make a success of his surprisingly good work, the future should be non existent for the scum like himself. If someone could strangle the life out of him now, he would be grateful for them as he took his last painful and disgusting breath.

Sage remained silent, there was nothing left to say.

Wolfwood was far from giving up.

And Milly wished Sage would talk, but she wanted Wolfwood to be somewhat more sensitive. She wanted to get involved, but didn't think she could convince either of them anything.

"For the last time, tell us what you know." Wolfwood basically ordered, his tone was flat but it was noticeable he was pissed off. He came closer to Sage and grabbed his shoulder, and all the shopkeeper could do was crane his neck and look up at him with a hollow face. "If you want, you can die. It doesn't matter anymore if you won't be convinced you're wrong. But first: we have to know all about this guy and why he's so senseless!"

"Does anything make sense in this world? Hmm?"

Wolfwood was not going to drop the subject that easily. He could tell this guy was avoiding the opportunity falling into his reach. Couldn't he see that he would be helping them out and also getting revenge on some senseless bastard who he obviously detests?

That was when Milly intervened. Her tears were long wiped away, her eyebrows connected, and she appeared before Sage's beside with her arms crossed on her chest. "Do you realize that Meryl is in danger right now? If you reveal your past with Spiked Silver...we can all help her. I know you probably want to help _Meryl_, right?"

Wow, that hit home. Sage lost some of the smugness he held a few moments ago, he remained silent with guilt as he let his eyes screw together.

Wolfwood didn't know what could have happened or why Sage was affected by her mentioning Meryl's position. He looked back and forth, curious. But he decided it was better to not know, as knowing would lead him to tell Vash that he may have competition for his love interest.

"This is what I know about Spiked Silver and how I do..." Sage murmured just loud enough for the two to hear. He rolled onto his other side away from their gazes as he did so.

**.**

Vash did it, he finally caught Spiked Silver in a position where he had no option. No option besides letting fate take the wheel. Meryl watched the scene from afar with alert eyes and a pounding heart, but she knew that no gore would follow. No matter how much this man was causing chaos, Vash could not kill anyone.

He didn't have to kill Spiked Silver, she noticed. All they had to do was knock him out long enough to lug him into a prison cell and then...perhaps they could part ways again. Well, Meryl wouldn't want to part from Vash so soon with at least attending that event with him or finally telling him what she locked up inside.

The tables had been turned when Spiked Silver managed to toss him to the ground, spinning free from the threatening position and giving a violent kick. With Vash on the ground, unable to grab his own weapon, either it was that or he didn't do so just to make him believe he could really kill him in that moment. But whatever the case, he was defenseless willingly or not. And Meryl's eyes widened and her heart beat quickened again, she could barely figure out how this happened.

Unless this was a part of Vash's plan from the beginning, he was screwed. And after kidnapping her for selfish reasons, basically strangling the life out of Calvin and Sage for no mentioned reason, not to mention his creepy senseless obsession with Eve, Meryl wouldn't put it past him to do something insane. She squirmed and struggled, trying with all of her strength to break the ropes, but found little breakthrough. The only sign of hope was the mild tear she heard and a few of the ropes drooping from her legs.

"Now, hope you have a safe trip to hell." Spiked Silver's fingers finally reached the trigger and he successfully shot Vash...

...Or did he?

Meryl's eyes widened, Spiked Silver was taken aback almost literally as he stepped back with shock, and Vash had soon slipped out from underneath his weight and was behind him once again in a flash.

It wasn't even minutes and the tables had already turned. That's kind of badass, but everyone barely had the chance to realize that from the shock.

Glaring, Spiked Silver glanced down at his self-proclaimed powerful new gun. He tried to fire at the ground, all could be heard was a simple and almost inaudible click and no bullets had fired.

He turned sharply, seeing that Vash still stood there carefully handling the bullets which had been inside the weapon. His other hand contained the rest of the bullets Spiked Silver had concealed within his coat.

"I guess my trip to hell won't be coming so soon after all." Vash taunted playfully, meeting those furious eyes. He thought that maybe the crazy man would give up now that his new weapon was defenseless and the only thing he could do with his hands was choking. "Why don't we call it quits? There's no way you can get me now, I think we may be able to settle-"

"Heh, you're one of the most random opponents I've ever had. So crazy and fast, it seems like I won't be able to kill you by my guns..." At first, Spiked Silver sounded slow as if trying to be intimidating. He then took a few steps forward as Vash backed up for some space. He had a wild look in his eyes as he added, "But you'll die by my own hands! Come here!" And with that said, he hurled his own gun a distance away and lunged for Vash.

He kind of expected it to go down like this, Spiked Silver seemed to be the type to play dirty at any given time. Vash saw an opening to dodge this and perhaps counterattack with a powerful smack to the back of his head, but he could not react to it long enough before the wild man dressed in silver had his hands around his throat just rough enough to ensure he couldn't escape.

Caught off guard by his speed, Vash couldn't make much of a move. He did, however, cough violently for a brief moment as soon as Spiked Silver tightened one hand almost slowly, sadistically, as if he was interested in watching him be defeated by torture rather than a fast one by gunshot.

Meryl couldn't see how Spiked Silver looked, she was already horrified by the turn of events and nearly screamed. Both from shock and anger with that horrible person. If she wasn't tied up, oh, hell would be unleashed at any given time. She could feel the ropes across her legs losing tightness as she squirmed forward, some were snapped but the ones across her upper torso wouldn't snap for nothing.

She felt awful, like maybe this wouldn't have happened if she could have been more useful. Instead of getting tied up and thrown around like a sack of potatoes, there could have been a minimum chance she could do something. Anything. Alert the authorities that the wanted crazy man was here in this city, whip out her own guns and terminate him then, or dodge his advances when he tried to take her with him. If she wasn't in trouble, maybe Vash wouldn't be so determined to stop him at this time when he hadn't time to think of strategies. He didn't actually say why he was going to end this now, but she was certain it wasn't fully for Eve and the city's sake. She was involved somehow...

It seemed like Spiked Silver had the advantage, what with his temper once again reaching the boiling point. Meryl observed that when this happened, he was rather powerful. Vash even seemed genuinely affected by pain, he shifted around trying to break free from this hold he had.

"You seriously think you could beat someone like me?" Spiked Silver just had to sneer, obviously wanting to have all of the glory he could possibly have in this moment. He wasn't trying to crush him in a fatal way this time, but his strength applied did hurt like hell. "Tell you what, you don't have to die too soon. I want the satisfaction of knowing you'll be out of my path and goals, so you get to _gradually _lose your pathetic life! So grasp for life, fucker! Let me see you try to break free in vain and fade away from a lack of air!"

'_This...it's not good...he really seems to believe that he's got the upper hand..._' Entered Vash's mind at that moment, as he put on the act of really being crushed and unable to breathe. He choked and struggled, knowing very well he wouldn't even _be able _to die this way. '_It does feel painful, but he's so wrong if he thinks that crushing my throat will kill me that easily. Plus, he's obviously trying to play a mind game by saying all of this and then using a weaker grip. It looks like my major death scene will be coming up in a few moments, if I could just us into the right positions..._'

From a little farther away, where Meryl sat up on her knees still furiously working with the ropes that were beginning to break, she still watched the match going on. She knew that soon, Vash would put his major plan into motion, and that didn't stop her from being concerned for his safety out there.

Her eyes were locked on. Spiked Silver continued to boast about his power in a haughty and very irritating manner as he always tended to, his grasp on Vash looked to be fatal. Vash struggled, seemingly to break free and be able to breathe again. And then, something not quite expected occurred.

Spiked Silver reeled his arm back, Vash still trapped within, and the crazy man yelled as he all but _hurled _Vash a good distance into the outer frame of a nearby home. It looked rather painful, Meryl herself cringed and her eyes bulged at the sight. More than ever, she wanted to break free and murder him.

The boasting of Spiked Silver arose once again, as he seemed to be convinced he was really above everyone else and on godly level. He was much too _foolish_, everyone else wasn't even listening because they were positive he was just _annoying_ and everything that came out of his mouth were lies.

Vash lied against the frame of the home, slowly coming to from the distraction of the pain stinging in his back from the impact. He cracked an eye open and put on and act of truly suffering by choking and struggling to breathe, the fact that part of the house had gotten crushed inward and wood pieces scattered helped to give the illusion something pierced a vital spot, just as soon as Spiked Silver turned and surveyed the city and shouting his power and all that crap, he was quick to reach for a very large pointed stick of wood from the home and stab it through his coat around the collar area to give the impression it was lodged in and stuck through his flesh. He also gathered other various long slivers of the wood around him, and brought out a small container of he carried with him – containing a red paint. Within seconds, he had the paint around his neck, throat, and face areas as if they were really bleeding forcefully. If all else failed, he wouldn't have been hesitant to bite himself just to get enough blood to convince the maniac dressed in silver that he won.

When Spiked Silver finished being an asshole, he turned on heels and began advancing forward to where Vash lied in a crumpled position, appearing to be breathing raggedly and beaten – though it wasn't truly the case but he didn't need to know that.

The man came close, his dull eyes shifting up and down as they took in the scene. It was if he was trying to be sure he won, so he would no longer have to suffer being tormented by the thought of loosing to a guy like him. Plus, his own reputation would soar and travel all over the planet if word was spread that he managed to beat Vash The Stampede.

"It looks like your luck has just run out. I'm turning you in dead, apparently." Spiked Silver stated coldly, his blue eyes gleaming and his expression stoic for a change. Vash continued to fake near death, breathing more quietly and letting a trembling hand try to press against the ground to lift himself, only to plop down useless. "First, we'll ensure you're dead! Die, bastard!"

It was obvious to anyone that the abandoned house they were nearby was weak and barely standing. Spiked Silver retreated a small distance to take hold of his useless umber gun that had been forgotten. He glared at it with hatred, but, it was still frighteningly heavy and could provide some form of help...by throwing it against the main beam that supported that house.

His throw was charged and Spiked Silver shouted as the gun dove through the air less than gracefully, it collided somewhat off course against a shaky beam that held the building intact, guess what happened next.

Attacked by the heavy gun, the beam instantly snapped in seconds, it collided with the bottom half and it wasn't very long before the two-story home all toppled down into pieces and caused a bit of a chain reaction when a few other homes located much too closely were damaged when pieces slammed into it.

A large cloud of dust and debris filled the surrounding area. Vash was nowhere in sight, people whom overheard were running out of other buildings including the wrecked, and the ropes surrounding Meryl's feet finally snapped and fell off when her rage upon the man dressed in silver reached the boiling point and she fought back against it.

The entire city seemed to be deathly silent after this. A few buildings remained still standing, most in that location were wrecked entirely or were still in somewhat decent shape. Spiked Silver looked over the pile of wreckage, hoping to see a flash of red and find out whether Vash survived that or not.

If he had really been near death, not even someone like him could survive that. He wouldn't have had the opportunity to get away, he'd die by being crushed underneath it. But just to be sure, so he would know that he won, Spiked Silver walked over to the site and began to push aside some of the debris and dust.

He hadn't time to look through it long, it seemed that the battle may have come to a draw. Because several people were beginning to gather, and some of the those people included the green-haired man he choked the previous day and the sheriff and his men. Crap, he would probably be arrested if he continued to linger around the site! He didn't believe Vash had been killed, so this obviously meant there was no victor.

"He should be over there! The man you're after!" Calvin could be heard announcing as the footsteps drew closer.

"Dammit, looks like I should get out before they catch me..." Spiked Silver murmured bitterly under his breath. He quickly began to run away disguising himself through the gather people and was out of the scene just as soon as Calvin and the lawmen arrived at the wreckage.

Once there, Calvin panted and ran his hands through his hair, exhausted from previously bolting to the jail and frantically round up everyone by announcing that there was an especially horrible criminal among them and they needed to find him and arrest him before they were all doomed. He had meant Spiked Silver, but held so much resentment for what he had done to Eve that he couldn't even say his name. He hoped that they got the idea when he pointed him out however...wait...

Calvin looked around, not seeing Spiked Silver anywhere. His eyes widened with shock as soon as the two lawmen near him began to look at him questionably. "W-where's...I could have sworn that chaos back here was his fault..."

One of the lawmen, short and lean wearing the same uniform as the main sheriff, began to no longer look questioning but more irritated now. "You told us there's an outlaw in this city. Were you making it all up?"

"No, of course not." Calvin explained, weakly because he had been sure Spiked Silver was here. He began to nervously make meaningless gestures and glance away as he mentioned, "I just want to be of help, I wouldn't gather you unless I was sure someone like that was here. You have to believe me."

"If so, _where_ is this outlaw, hmm?" The main sheriff, a man of average height and kinder features wearing the same uniform prompted. He sounded less irritated than the other.

Calvin was about to reply, but everyone fell silent when they heard a faint scraping sound. They turned their attention to the pile of wrecked buildings, only to see Vash himself stand atop it all and them slide off casually, commenting jokingly about a nice afternoon nap being interrupted.

It didn't take long for the civilians to stare with horror and then take steps back, the sheriff and his deputy to draw their guns; convinced _Vash_ was the outlaw Calvin told them about, and Calvin to piece all of this together and feel like he just did something horrible.

Pretending to not notice how freaked out everyone else was, and take the situation lightly, Vash merely smiled as if nothing was wrong and wiped off the paint with his gloves and pull out the dangerously-pointed and large slivers of wood. "I hate it when you try to have a peaceful nap and there's so much construction and loud noise Hey, what's everyone so stunned about?" Vash did look in Calvin's direction, noticing the fact he was looking pale and worried, he could only wonder what he had been a part of.

Soon, Vash was surrounded by the sheriff and deputy coming close and blocking his escape by the left and right. He glanced at them, faking confusion over it and trembling while raising his hands to surrender.

Calvin hung his head and disappeared through the people, unable to face what was going to happen next. He really didn't have to stand there and watch himself fail to help someone out. Watch the wrong person get carried away into jail with possibly no way out. God, could he be any more useless? The green-haired man was determined to keep peace in the world, but it seemed that his whole life was a loop of bad luck at every corner. The only recent time he had managed to be of use was that one time at the bar when he helped Vash escape a crazy bartender who wanted his head and before then heavily imply he and Meryl should get together because they radiated sexual tension.

Right now, he felt like he should dig a hole, get in, and rot away somewhere. He indirectly betrayed a person he wanted to befriend and he didn't step up and say something that would save him. What kind of person was he? And could his ex-girlfriend have been right about him being an unnecessary doormat of the universe? Well...she didn't exactly word it that strongly, as she had a ditzy tendency, but she implied it.

The sulking green-haired man probably would have gotten farther away if his wandering gaze hadn't landed on Meryl awkwardly leaning against the wall of a small alley, ropes around her ankles and slipping from her torso with a gag over her mouth. Wait, what? He stopped in his tracks and then promptly rushed over to see if she was okay. Seeing her in this shape, he feared the worst. Though...the fact she wasn't visibly injured and was fully dressed served to convince him nothing too horrible had occurred.

"Meryl!" Calvin shouted in distress, for once no longer sounding as calm. This obviously meant the situation was dire. Meryl felt truly relieved to see help finally arrived, she kicked back the ropes at her feet as soon as Calvin dashed over and began hastily untying the weakening ropes around her torso. "Hang in there, I'm going to untie you and explain the situation..."

It took a few tries, at least four. Finally, the ropes thankfully gave in and fell to the ground useless. Calvin grasped them and tossed them away into a random direction before reaching for the gag still over her mouth. Meryl, however, got to it first and yanked it off and threw it down.

Meryl was obviously glad to breathe normally again. She took in a long breath of air and then exhaled, before suddenly appearing startled as she stepped into proximity with Calvin and shook him by the shoulders.

"Calvin, it's terrible! You've no idea what I've been through in the past few hours! Spiked Silver randomly appeared and held me as a hostage for Vash because he was sure he'd come for me quicker, tied me up, deserted me, and fought against Vash but he faked him out with a death scene and now he's gone!"

Calvin almost didn't entirely understand what Meryl reported. He stared, unmoving and blinking as he was shaken before being released as the small woman tried to contain herself.

She took a deep breath again, now somewhat more calm. But it didn't stop her from being sure there was more trouble to come. "I don't know what happened after the buildings crashed down, I was trying to break free. Oh...I hope Vash is safe after that chaos, I mean, he gets into too much danger..."

Calvin's boots scuffed the ground and he did one of his nervous gestures where he scratched his upper arms lightly. He somehow couldn't look Meryl in the eyes, finding the ground more fascination in his moment of regret. "Meryl, I had the feeling something crazy was happening so I went to the sheriff and deputy, not able to outright say it was Spiked Silver that was causing the trouble. I wanted him to be arrested...but...it seems like the guys think Vash is the one I was talking about-"

"WHAT?" Calvin flinched from that screech. His eyes had closed and he braced for what tantrum she may go off on now. Meryl was shocked, she stared before glaring and standing on the tips of her toes to meet him face to face. "Vash is really about to be thrown into jail? Really? You should have been more specific! I can't stand to see him go in there, he really didn't mean any harm...he never does..."

Seeing as though Meryl wasn't exploding quite as badly as he anticipated, and her tone began to calm and sound full of sorrow as she went on, he opened his eyes and stared down at her, a hollow expression of quilt was worn on his face.

There was a small silence between them, Calvin was taken by surprise when Meryl grasped the sleeve of his shirt and used her strength to lead him away with her. They were soon walking at a brisk pace down the mostly empty streets, and he could only wonder what was going on.

Instead of him asking first, Meryl had just turned to look at him with a determined expression. She stated in a serious, no nonsense tone that they couldn't sit around and not take action. She also mentioned that they were going to the hospital to talk with someone she and Milly previously encountered.

After all, if he wasn't of use for anything else, Sage seemed to be able to converse with Spiked Silver on one-sided professional terms. It seemed they had some form of connection, and she felt this could help them drive him out. Of course, she was still deeply concerned for Vash; she knew he didn't deserve imprisonment. But she didn't let her emotions get carried away, she didn't look backward at all.

And, on top of everything else, she couldn't find full reason to be turned against Calvin assuming that he truly was on Vash's side. But she was now pissed with him, and probably wouldn't talk to him for the next several hours unless she absolutely had to. Damn, and he seemed like a good man at first. But he made one stupid mistake.

**.**

"...We were once partnered together." Sage confessed, failing to surpass a shudder as he spoke. He didn't need to look their way to know that Milly and Wolfwood were exchanging expressions of disapproval for a few reasons. He still lied on his side staring at the walls, beginning to zone out into memories. "Yes, we traveled the planet together trying to conjure a reputation for him. We really didn't care about each other at all, I know we both irritated each other and our teamwork in shooting tended to be sloppy or nonexistent because if it. But I don't regret purposely finding ways to make him angry, he was a complete bastard and deserved it."

This was beginning to make sense to Milly. She recalled how Sage and Spiked Silver conversed back in the store, it sounded as if they both were trying to rattle the nerves of the other. She anxiously prompted, "How did you ever cross paths with someone like him? And why would he need your assistance?"

It was obvious Sage wanted to refuse talking, but he may as well do so now and then let himself die in peace without ever providing help to take him down. There was a mild pause, Sage shifted his position to lie on his back at this time and let his eyes flutter closed.

"I've been having this wish to die for almost all of my teenage years. Basically because I felt my dad never cared for my existence in the first place, he treated me coldly because he blamed my mom for dying directly after childbirth on me. He raised me nevertheless, with a much younger second wife whom I never viewed as a mom even though she tried her best. I guess...Dad's constant putting me down made me feel worthless." Again, Milly and Wolfwood were exchanging looks. He didn't need to know that. "One day, on my eighteenth birthday, I left home in the night and began searching for some purpose in life all over the planet. By sandsteamer, I was on a destination to a big fancy city I can't remember the name of, Spiked Silver happened to be aboard it too and he caused quite the uproar when announcing his presence to everyone and trying to be a show off. I didn't know how to handle the situation, it was the first time I had ever been anywhere near a criminal and I overheard gossip of his actions from varying people I passed by. Trying to gather courage, I dragged out a custom-made gun from my luggage and tracked him down to the room he was in."

"It sounds like you just needed a therapist to sort out problems. You shouldn't have let your own dad put you down." Wolfwood commented, using a rather deadpan tone. Milly glanced over, offering an amused smile."

"Therapists aren't easy to find." Sage snapped briefly, soon composing himself again and resuming the tale. "Anyway; I did manage to corner Spiked Silver and ordered him to leave or I would kill him. I knew I didn't stand a chance, he was too threatening. In fact, he didn't once believe I could harm him. He began to draw his own gun and forced me into a corner, I was scared to death and near tears...and that was when he lowered his weapon and glanced at mine on the floor, forgetting ending my life and more interested in how it was assembled."

Sage went onward to tell his role in this entire situation. He opened up to the couple about how Spiked Silver was amazed by the construction of the gun he had been defending himself with, and seeing as though this was his chance to live – and still have an opportunity to end his life _by his own will_ later – he felt some unknown feeling of accomplishment well as he shared information that he made it himself. He had been shown how by his stepmother despite being reluctant and not giving a damn about her, because she had been well-known with her talented craftsmanship. He mentioned Spiked Silver was then obviously convinced killing him was too hasty, he had some interesting skills that he could use to his advantage.

And it wasn't long before Spiked Silver asked him if he was willing to forget the destination he was going, and be a traveling companion of his. He didn't sugar-coat his words, he had spoken with a tone as cold as it could be but yet wore a sadistic smirk that Sage would later realize as being almost always a typical expression for him. It was apparent that he didn't care for him, he even stated that if they partnered together, he would not bail him out of problems and he would not be his friend. Sage would be used for crafting various guns they could sell off for high cash, a defensive shield in case he was in a tough situation, and to stir up trouble with him to help forge his own reputation as a badass outlaw.

Sage didn't take at least a minute to make a decision. He assumed that even if he hated this guy for having the nerve to treat him this way, it was an ideal fate for someone like him. Someone so worthless and feeble should gradually suffer traveling with the enemy and be used as a tool and not a human being. Later, he decided, he would end his life directly after Spiked Silver proclaimed he no longer needed his assistance. And so, like that, eighteen year old Sage stood up from the corner and asked him if he should give his weapon a look over right now, or later after they scare the shit out of everyone aboard.

And that sealed his fate. For the next few years anyway.

For the next few years, Sage had been treated horribly verbally. Knowing that his skills with guns were needed, that was the only thing preventing the man dressed in silver from deserting him or perhaps using violence when his temper had been ignited again. They traveled a remarkable distance, Sage recalled, he even had a few occasions to slip away and see the sights. Of course, he was found later and once again yelled at and had a gun shoved to his skull. These years weren't the best of his life, he felt he hardly learned a thing from them. Of course, he did manage to get a profit from their work. And yet, the money didn't satisfy him. He felt there was something missing.

Sage then went on to finish up his story, the only way he knew of, revealing what caused their partnership to cease and them to go their ways. He, at this point, had reversed to a sitting position and began making small nervous gestures that meant nothing. He explained that one night, Spiked Silver had been treating him badly more so than ever when he accidentally let some crook rob them of two-thousand double dollars. It wasn't his fault, but he acted as if he committed the ultimate sin.

He knew he was especially angered with his companion he could care less about. So, feeling like a sneaky rebel, he slithered away from their shared hotel room and payed a visit to a saloon for a good meal and entertainment; wanting to return to default mood after all of that nonsense.

The rest all came out with a tone of regret and void of hope of what to do next. Sage poured out how Vash had been at the saloon, thugs infiltrated and tried to be tough, Vash tried to save the day, and he ignored all of the warnings and decided to play the hero and take down the leader himself, he also didn't forget to mention how his hand was badly injured and broken and his stomach received a bullet wound. Sage almost had captured because the thugs noticed the money falling out of the bag slung over his shoulder. They wanted it. He felt like he was doomed, and yet Vash took notice and rushed to his help – shockingly despite his disobeying of orders, he stood up to the thugs and drove them away. Feeling overwhelmingly grief he had been attacked, the supposed-evil man actually helped him up to his feet and quickly escorted him to a hospital as if they hadn't just met several minutes ago. Sage recalled he was stunned, but the burning pain in his chest had left him so much in a daze his state of consciousness was fading in and out around the time he was being lead into a room and knocked out cold so the doctors could attempt to save his life.

The surgery must have lasted several hours. Sage had awoken, almost barely believing he was still alive. He had gazed to the right to see the opened window shimmering in the bright sunlight. He didn't smile, he didn't ask questions, he was just thinking to himself...why did he have to survive that night. It would have done the world good to take someone like him out. And why would someone of Vash's reputation go to desperate lengths to save him. It made no sense to him.

Then he had weakly shifted his head to the left, the first thing he noticed was a gun pressed to his cheek and Spiked Silver's face. It wasn't the best thing to wake up to after nearly suffering a fatal shot. Spiked Silver was not worried for him, he instead asked him why the hell he was being untrustworthy and taking away _his_ money. All he could do in that moment was stare disapprovingly at the enraged man, before letting his hand that wasn't covered in bandages raise and grasp the weapon, managing to shove it away as he stated with an ice cold tone that he refused to ever fire a gun again and would live on his own without suffering mistreatment.

"...You can bet that Spiked Silver was pissed off. But I didn't care." Sage wrapped up the story, folding his arms across his chest and letting his fingers brush across where the bullet had penetrated his chest. "After what happened, I had some clarity when waking up from a near death situation. I still don't know why I have to be alive or why Vash saved me and disappeared into the night, but I know for sure that keeping myself away from action has brought me a better living. I recovered and left that town all alone with no money and no knowledge of what to do next...but I don't regret it. At least now I've managed a decent business, right?"

The story had come to a close, now Milly and Wolfwood were remaining silent. They couldn't say they agreed on a few points he tried to prove, but they felt he was being honest with the details because he poured out more feeling into his voice than what had been there before. Now that they knew of him, they weren't sure if they should leave him be and attempt to kill himself or watch over him and lure information of Spiked Silver's fatal weaknesses out.

Just as they contemplated their next moves, some raps at the door indicated a visitor. Or two. Milly's eyes wandered to the door, and soon widened and sparkled with joy as she gasped. She wasted no time in running over and attacking Meryl in a hug just as she opened the door with Calvin at her side.

**To Be Continued**

**.**

***Nervously enters the scene* Ahem, um, h-hello...wow...it's been a little while since I've been with this story. And I kind of left whatever of you readers exist hanging. *Sweatdrop* I apologize, see, some things have come up and...well...I could try to explain but I somehow doubt it will smooth things over.**

**I couldn't think of a chapter title to save my life. But, hopefully that didn't provide lack of impact, I do hope you found the chapter enjoyable and not crappy! See, I tried my best to flesh out Sage and give you more detail as to why the hell he would travel with Spiked Silver and what's their deal, but our suicidal shopkeeper may not stay in the story by the end and you'll find out why later. I also tried to make the fight play out good enough, though I had been really annoyed with myself for constantly ruining it with stupid description so I CONSTANTLY rewrote those scenes and tried to give a typical Trigun-like feel to it. Your mileage may vary.**

**Please let me know your thoughts overall. I know it may not seem to be going anywhere now, but everyone's stories are soon going to mingle together and Vash and Meryl will get their UST of course~!**

_**Next Chapter: Time skips ahead to the following day. Spiked Silver is nowhere to be found, Vash is in jail, and Calvin is investigating and plotting. With Wolfwood and Milly elsewhere on a date together, it's just Meryl and Eve and the two girls must make an attempt to settle any hostility between them...by working together to bail out Vash.**_

_**Following Chapter: As uncertainty arises over how everyone should move next, there is sexual tension in the air for two couples waiting to happen. Vash and Meryl decide that they're getting too caught up in others' problems and decide to loosen up by bringing out some booze – sounds familiar somehow, and meanwhile, Calvin intrudes upon Eve with horrible timing and they're finding themselves falling a little too far – Eve blames the romantic moonlight shining through the window.**_

**Read and review!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Thank you for waiting, chapter twelve is in motion now! I have to say, this chapter was interesting to write. Also, you could say that I was a major sucker for having Wolfwood and Milly out of the focus long enough to be alone on a date and Vash and Meryl's UST. I'm a shipper, deal with it. *Is not taking off her bright red shipping goggles***

**Enjoy the chapter, please read and review.**

**Disclaimer: Once again, I don't own Trigun. For if I had, Vash and Meryl's relationship would have been all-out confirmed by the end. *Still wearing those shipping goggles***

**-MidnightSakuraBlossom**

**.**

**A Different Kind of Love Story**

**Chapter Twelve**

**.**

The moons glowed and the stars covering the horizon glimmered down to the landscape, Meryl was in her and Milly's hotel room, stripping off her clothes and preparing to change for bed. That is, if she could manage to sleep with all of the excitement from today still on the mind.

Her shoulders were still tense, her head was spinning, and she felt a sick feeling of disgust for herself; that was for not being of any use and getting kidnapped so easily. Wasn't there something she could have done? Anything at all that would have prevented Spiked Silver from escaping, and Vash not being to blame for what happened?

If this had been months ago, she would be pissed off that Vash caused some destruction she would have to try to manage, but now she couldn't quite find the attitude. And she couldn't hate Vash. And no one else around were convinced she was honestly annoyed by his antics. Maybe this was all because of the fact she knew the whole story, not little pieces that the gathering townsfolk had come up with.

Or maybe she was just warming up to Vash and his antics. Perhaps she really did care about him, like everyone around has been trying to imply for so long. Especially that one incident at the bar with Calvin, the crazy bartender, and Milly's advice for wrapping up the evening.

Realizing that last part, Meryl paused in the middle of slipping her arms through the sleeves of her nightgown. Her eyes began to slowly widen and her lips parted ways. But, she soon cast that theory out and immediately returned to dressing and letting her thoughts wander elsewhere for one night.

Still, that would be hard to accomplish. She did feel worried for Vash, knowing that he probably wasn't searching for a way to bust out of the jail. She felt he wouldn't, because he never was one to escape even though he would be able to willingly. It's like the assumed sitting around totally alone would do him and the world a favor. What a load of crap.

Meryl didn't believe he should do that. And what happened today certainly wasn't his fault, he didn't want to resort to a match like that and she could determine by his actions – he would have preferred talking it out civilly. It's too bad on this planet, no one is civil. And the way their minds work, it's far from anything sober and reasonable. Although sometimes there's the sympathetic.

Even though the match was thankfully over, this didn't mean things would get easier. She didn't know if the crazy man dressed in silver even believed he won. Although, judging by his arrogant claims he spouted off; he must still think of himself as godly and high above everyone else. Tch. Such an insane fool. The small girl wondered where he had acquired such views of himself.

Meryl, now dressed in a knee-length white nightgown, paced the floor for a few brief seconds and soon found herself standing by the window. Her features showed exhaustion and uneasiness, yet she didn't think she could fall asleep so soon without at least lying to herself that soon enough all of this would be straightened out. And they would leave Ember Walls. And venture out into whatever else existed in Gunsmoke.

But it seemed the trip would be prolonged a little. Considering the twist to the events and what she, Wolfwood, Calvin, and Milly were informed by Sage. About their short-lived partnership. Meryl recalled she was surprised he had that sort of backstory. She was almost regretful of labeling him as a creepy pervert. Well, the key word is almost. The man still made her skin crawl uneasily and her guard to rise when they spoke or made eye contact. And she couldn't approve his desperate want to kill himself after doing something to bring his ex-partner to the law. Whatever law still existed anyway.

'_Ugh...why would this situation have to turn out so complex? When we were arriving in this city two days ago, I didn't expect to be wrapped up in any of this._' Meryl thought to herself, resting a palm on the sill of the large window once pulling the curtains to the side. She craned her neck for a few moments, scanning the room to ensure Milly had not returned. Alone, she quickly extended her fingers to an empty decorative pot on the sill and removed something from it. '_And, Vash, I certainly didn't want you to get involved into others' problems. Hopefully, you understand I'm on your side even though I don't exactly word it well._'

What Meryl had grasped from the inside of this brown, clay pot, was a crumpled message written in hasty handwriting. She smoothed it out with both hands, before reading it over again and letting a gentle smile pass her lips.

The message was the one Vash had written to her that one night everyone encountered in a no-name town. After their little 'date' at the nearest bar, when turned to a fateful incident for the both of them to talk about certain things in...somewhat private and realize some things. This message detailed why he left suddenly, and specifically stated his next destination was this very city. Possibly, the Humanoid Typhoon led her here for reasons he wouldn't say, or there was another hidden motive even he wasn't conscious of.

But whenever Meryl read over this, she would smile and feel that same hopeful feeling she had gotten as her and Milly set out into the desert for another city. The hopeful feeling no matter where they went, how far apart they stayed for extended amounts of time, and despite him not able to openly come out with it, Vash cared to let her know what was going on. And she...she wanted to tell him she knew.

"...Also..." Meryl began to finish aloud, a blush found it's way to her cheeks and she folded the message properly this time and shoved it into the pot. "I don't care what may stand in the way, I will someday mention that I love you."

But...could she really say this to his face, not the nighttime scenery through the window? Meryl couldn't look into the future, she didn't know what would happen next. But for now, she would crawl under the covers and try to drift off to sleep knowing that the next day would be spent doing anything to bust Vash out of jail.

When Meryl had finished her thoughts aloud, she was so unsuspecting of the fact it was right then when Calvin was passing by their room to get to his own. He had stopped walking by 'also', and heard everything to 'I love you'. Hearing this, Calvin couldn't help but walk away with a quicker and more upbeat pace than what he had been, his typical half-smile present and daring to become amused.

**.**

The moon and starlight touched the landscape and peeked it's way through the tiny peephole of a window this tiny cell contained. The cell was only big enough for at least three, but contained only one person. It had the typical installments, a very uncomfortable firm bed, toilet and pedestal sink, and that was about it.

Vash stood at the locked steel door, grasping it with one hand and the other repeatedly sliding in and out tapping against it for some form of entertainment. Being locked up in here sucked, and the only thing he could see from here was the deputy seated in a creaky rocking chair nearby the cells pretending to not be watching the captives by reading a very thick and boring-looking novel.

He felt he should at least rest while he was here. Vash didn't have to stay up all night plotting how he would break out of the jail...because he really didn't have to plan anything at all. Even if the deputy was being watchful on everyone, he could easily slip out undetected. But he wouldn't do it, maybe he did deserve to sit in this cell for a little while and think things over.

What could he think about? Maybe his old life, what he would do after he managed to settle this conflict in Ember Walls and head out into the desert, or...people he knew. Like Wolfwood, Milly, Calvin, Meryl...

Meryl. That reminded him.

How was she doing right now? Did she manage to get away herself or was she forgotten and still bound to ropes in that alleyway? The fear of her safety had really panicked him earlier that day, when he was told by Milly of what happened he couldn't control himself from running like hell to find her. And then, when he discovered that she was tied up with nothing to look forward to but him risking his life against a crazy lunatic, she was on the mind the whole time. She barely had ever left, except when he was putting pieces together to make a death scene – which was probably what propelled him into this mess anyway.

If Meryl was harmed, he really wouldn't know how to forgive himself. Vash was almost stunned to know that this was true, he would have never believed it if this was many months ago when he first met those two girls. It was amazing, he noted, how much feelings can just sneak up and exist without much conscious knowledge of them.

He tore his eyes away from the deputy in the chair, turning on his feet and approaching the peephole through the wall. When Vash came close enough and peered through with one eye, he could make out the nighttime scenery of...well...nothing pretty much as the city seemed to be as deserted as it had been this morning for some reason. A part of him really wished that on the other side of that hole would be Meryl safe and sound.

And maybe right there with him, held protectively in his arms.

...Wait...did he really just think that?

'_O-of course I-I want her to be safe and nowhere in danger, but uh, isn't held protectively in my arms taking it a little too far?_' Entered Vash's mind, trying to cool some of those thoughts getting a little out of control and possibly not being realistic. He rested his head against the wall, resisting the overpowering want to slam into it for at least once. '_You are really falling too far yourself. After all; even though Meryl may have said she loved you before, she was completely drunk and whatever she had said and done was more than likely the alcohol possessing her. And besides...we already established it may be too impossible for us maintain any sort of relationship._' He almost genuinely smiled impishly for a moment, despite the situation being less than ideal to be in. '_Well...I guess as long as I ask and she complies. If I ever decide to leave, if I ever find her safe, I have to remember to do that. God, just for a few seconds..._'

The seconds passed again and again, Vash fell onto the bed anxiously staring up at the ceiling as if doing so would open a hole and Meryl would enter safe and sound if not lecturing him for even considering going against the crazy man they have been encountering. Even if she did so, he wouldn't care. She wouldn't believe a word she threw out of habit.

Despite the multiple opportunities to get out of this jail, whether it be by stealth or blasting the wall down, or just shooting the breeze with the lawman and convince him to let him out. Vash didn't have to leave so soon, and sitting in here would at least give him some time to find a plan to calm some of the uproars around here and also motivate himself to stop screwing around and once again try to admit how he felt about Meryl.

He could hang out here for a little while longer, he guessed.

**.**

"Meryl..." Milly, dressed for the morning and currently brushing through her hair, tapped a lump in the middle of the bed with her free hand. "Meryl, wake up, it's morning!"

The lump of two blankets and sheets stirred, until a head of mussed raven hair popped out. Meryl, tired and just barely waking up after all of the chaos that previously happened yesterday, whipped her head around to see Milly standing there and then glance at the window where it was suddenly morning and sunlight streamed in.

Meryl wasn't as chipper as Milly, her 'good morning' was hardly audible and she yawned in the process. Her blurry vision was clearing, and her muscles weren't quite as limp. She tossed the covers aside and began to start her daily morning routine of bathing, grooming, dressing, getting coffee, and heading out the door to catch up with Vash.

But her routine slowly shattered just as she gathered her clothes, she remembered one important detail that had somehow slipped her mind from the surprisingly-decent five hours of sleep she had gotten. Vash was still in jail, and she had to try to bust him out today because he really didn't deserve being held captive when he did nothing wrong. She didn't know what made her forget that, it could have been because she spent hours in bed trying to fall asleep and forget about her worries when Vash handled himself just fine. It took forever to convince herself, her sleep after this was dreamless but finally at rest. A positive note is that it gave her energy and determination: the result being that she was ready at any time to head out and demand he be released. Though it was unlikely the lawmen would listen to an outsider, she had to try anything. Vash wouldn't escape on his own so soon, didn't this mean she should intervene?

Meryl had paused up, she didn't move until Milly leaned over onto her shoulder and spoke, "Meryl, are you broken or something?"

The smaller girl caught herself, coming back to reality as she craned her neck slightly and gave Milly a wavering look of false security. "No, no I'm just fine. There must be something in my mind trying to override my thoughts..." She noticed that her companion was appearing understandably skeptical, so she rambled on stupidly, not realizing how much on a level it was before she finished. "Well...you don't have to look like that, Milly. It's nothing to be concerned of, merely-"

"Are you thinking about Mr. Vash again?"

"..."

Predictably, the hotel room fell into silence. Meryl's eyes found the flooring to be more interesting than before and they locked in there as she struggled to piece together an argument. But then again, how could she deny that was Milly stated, in one of her spontaneous moments of intelligence, that it was accurate?

Milly didn't even need a reply from Meryl because she knew how she was, she expected her to not be able to combat that statement. When he first took notice of her standing there seemingly blank and being very still while she was placing the brush down and debating the topic of applying makeup. She didn't comment on anything, she used actions instead.

Actions tended to speak louder than words in certain moments. Because everyone must face it sooner or later, wording can get so damn tangled that no one can believe or trust anything. When Milly rested her head on Meryl's shoulder and tightly clasped her arms around her torso in the form of a slightly-awkward hug, that was her saying that she knew fully who was playing a major role in her thoughts and why she was anxious to bust him out of the hands of the man.

Meryl didn't say a word either, she did however smile gently and let the supportive hug she was receiving linger for a few moments. If she was going to do this, she would need all of the support she could wrangle in. It didn't seem to matter what the situation be, her coworker didn't openly imply she thought her decisions were freakishly stupid and seemingly approved everything. Whether or not this was totally helpful was most definitely up to interpretation.

After a few moments, Milly pulled away and was heading in the direction of the mirror that hung on the wall. "I know that you want to get Mr. Vash out of jail. Don't worry about how it may seem, I know you care about him." Just as Milly arrived at the mirror and began inspecting her appearance while gazing at Meryl too, she continued with a knowing grin, "Whether or not you're going to do anything about it or not is your decision, I'm only suggesting that you soon tell him everything you're hiding."

"M-Milly, you shouldn't imply such-" Meryl tried to argue, she turned and put on an irritated look as she met the look of Milly's knowing face reflected back at her. But soon, it faded to a defeated and down look when she realized there was no use in fighting. "...I know."

Happy with her appearance, and the fact Meryl surrendered to reality, Milly spun on the heels of her feet and was nothing short of cheerful despite previously being worried about Vash too. Although he was in a tight situation, she knew that she couldn't devote her entire day to wondering why he chose to not fight the system when had nothing to do with that destruction. She knew Spiked Silver belonged behind bars much greater than he. But she had to have faith it would all end well just it things...almost...always did.

Milly knew she would love to help everyone with the jail situation, she didn't mind being a part of chaos just as long as no one got injured and it was fun and easy to laugh about in the future when all was said and done. However, she had other plans that she couldn't help putting first. Just last night, before she returned to the room to crash, Wolfwood caught up to her and started conversation, they talked of little fair weather topics that hardly had any matter...before he came out with it and offered to spend the day around the city with her. He assumed it wouldn't be much longer before he had enough cash to leave this city and go to his original destination, but he wanted to spend time with her and take their minds off the seriousness for at least half the day.

The explanation of why she couldn't tag along was gently explained to Meryl, and after several minutes it ended and she swayed a little on her feet awaiting the verdict of her friend. She thought she may be annoyed that she was more concerned with going out for a day on the city with Wolfwood rather than help out, and she was pleasantly surprised when Meryl's reaction was an understanding one. Showing she didn't mind, that maybe she could handle this alone.

"If you want to go out with Wolfwood, I don't see any harm in that. Maybe if I use a firm tone, and mix it with professional description and evidence of Vash's innocence, I can get him out on my own."– Meryl said, at long last smiling despite it being a vague one.

"Thank you, Meryl! And, don't worry about the chances of the sheriff not listening, because I'm sure they will believe you!" Meryl rolled her eyes as Milly was noticeably ending the conversation in a rushed manner, one she didn't use often unless she was really excited to be somewhere else at the time.

Really, she was happy for her coworker and friend. Sometimes she wondered if she could ever reach that kind of level with Vash, maybe courting him in between all of the gun fights and the pissed off townspeople and crumbling buildings. But, maybe she was just hoping for too much. She and Vash spoke about the past incident at the bar and honestly, she felt they were getting nowhere with that.

Meryl turned her back on Milly and carried her clothes into the bathroom, plopping them in a neatly folded pile on the counter, she began to think over their words during that talk of theirs. The talk of which didn't last long, before exhaustion caught up with her and forced her to sleep right then and there...on Vash...whom she hoped wasn't confused by the turn the situation had taken, and then again since she was not a heavy sleeper, how did she not feel him leave?

When she decided to follow him out here, she intended to tell him how she felt. Something was holding her back, and whatever this restriction was refused to break down. If she didn't tell Vash anything, she may never be able to get it out of her head and she would have to always think of herself as a spineless coward. Hey, even if he rejects her for personal reasons and she leaves heartbroken, having the strength to confess would tide her over and maybe help her through life.

She could be so weak sometimes, there were a many she could have been of use and helped Vash out. But at the beginning, she found him utterly annoying and difficult to deal with. And now as time goes on, he's no longer so hard to stay in the presence of but she now she couldn't be of any help when he needed it. To prove to him how much she cared, she felt it was necessary she step up and show it. He deserved someone who he didn't have to save or watch get tossed into an alleyway like a sack of food and get tied up as a trap of sorts. Someone who could actually spit out how they feel at least.

Even if Vash – in a completely theoretical situation – knew how she felt and he – again in a completely theoretical situation – returned everything, he would more than likely keep it all quiet. Because he was doubtful of pursuing her, knowing that she couldn't even push herself to say something and try to sort something out. And maybe he thought in this theoretical situation, she was not saying anything for self-centered or crude reasons. She didn't want him getting any wrong implications whatsoever.

Some love story she was wrapped up in, Meryl had thought to herself as she lowered down near the bathtub and began to twist a knob to fill it with water, it was one twisted love story if she and Vash had so many supporters dying to bring them together and neither could establish anything in the process. There were so many things holding them back, and they were nothing short of serious. It was no fairytale at all. And to be honest, she was becoming doubtful there would be a resolution.

Pulling Meryl out of her low-spirited thoughts, Milly's fist rapped against the door as she spoke loudly over the flowing water, "Meryl, I'm going out now! Me and Mr. Wolfwood will be back at around sundown, so please let us know how it goes with Mr. Vash!"

It was certainly childish, but Meryl rolled her eyes and replied, "Okay, but then you have to give me the details of your hot date! Remember: always think before doing!"

As she expected, the only response she got out of Milly were muffled chuckles as she finally left the room to go out with Wolfwood. Meryl eased her tense muscles and began lifting her long night shirt over her head and toss it to the floor, after a nice a bath she would be able to have enough energy to yell at a couple of men and then hopefully get to spend the remainder of the day with Vash.

**.**

Eve had woken up from a long, much-needed slumber nicely she guessed. She was never much of a morning person. Although considering the cold personality she was developed – she was not much of a bright and warm person any time of the day. She finally managed to arise and throw on the same clothes she had worn the previous day and brush through her frizzed curls.

Strangely, she was feeling a little more better than what she had been before. Much before Calvin, Meryl, Milly, Vash, Wolfwood, before all of them arrived into town she had been feeling under the weather and just wouldn't accept it. It seemed that after she ate some of that leftover stew of Calvin's from the previous supper, her health was returning. Maybe he wasn't joking when he had mentioned with a chuckle that the recipe was one his family were the creators of and considering how hearty it was, it had amazing healing quality. Humph, maybe she would actually apologize for being a bother one of these days.

When Eve pushed back the doors and entered the kitchen to make some breakfast for the customers at the hotel, she was surprised to see that Meryl person already inside leaning against a counter and quickly stuffing her mouth with what appeared to be a piece of toasted bread and some leftover meat from the stew. That was an interesting sight, to say the least.

Although, when the girls' eyes met, the silence following after was so...so indescribably tense. Every time now, they couldn't hold a gaze for a few seconds, it was just because of one not so fabulous and ideal meeting. Even though Meryl knew of her story, she still wasn't totally swayed to have helping her out with her problems being the main reason she was in this city. Truth be told: it was because of her job and Vash, and Eve was one of those minor details that could be sidestepped if it weren't for her other friends' meddling.

Meryl had previously strolled in to hurry and eat whatever she could find and them leave so she didn't have to waste time. She also didn't want to have to bother crossing paths with the daughter of the hotel's owner, but it seemed she wasn't lucky this time. She stood upright and her rapid chewing on the tender meat grew more slowly than what it should have been. Her eyes narrowed with aggravation and her blank expression had taken a lean to discomfort that she had to be in the same room with her.

Eve didn't say anything either, her typical cold "don't-talk-to-me" look on her face was looking even more sour than usual and again robbing any physical attractiveness a smile would do for her (not that Meryl gave a damn if anyone found her attractive and she really didn't care, Calvin must have questionable taste). She didn't once take her eyes off the insurance girl as she shuffled into the room, acquired her apron, and tied it neatly over the purple dress she had been wearing the first day they met. She felt there was not a thing she had to say, and if there to be any words, Meryl would have to say it first.

It was a staring battle between the two, their eyes never once tore away even as Meryl resumed quickly eating and Eve reached into the cabinets for containers of spices and various flavors. If anyone else were to be within a small distance of this kitchen, their blood would run cold at the mere feeling of it all. And, crazily, it shouldn't even be this way between them. They were still strangers and weren't willing to give the other a chance just because of some bad first impressions and cold and meaningless comments. Perhaps there was a possibility they could set aside differences and at least be on somewhat friendly terms – if they had met somewhere else and at a different time.

To be honest: Eve wasn't just rough on Meryl because she was around strange people like that – armed mind you – pacifist guy and a certain flirty drifter. She also couldn't get past the way she would lash out when she was the one being in the wrong and maybe deserved to be yelled at. These moments had come up more than one time, but Eve thought slightly too high of herself to be convinced of it mind you.

And as for Meryl: she wasn't just rough on Eve because she found her to be cold, pathetic, irritating, ect. Like, say, when she did absolutely nothing to fight back Spiked Silver's advances. Even if she wasn't in any position to defend herself physically, she certainly many missed opportunities to threaten him with calling in the lawmen or just pulling a few childish and yet hateful comments of what she thought of him from the air. She also didn't think she had any right to be rude to her and her friends for what seemed to be no reason. It was stupid and senseless, they all didn't know her and vice versa so she couldn't decide they were bad people out of the blue. She didn't even properly thank them for giving a damn about her sob story of a past! Even if Meryl wasn't swayed by the events, she still wouldn't be one-hundred percent willing to save a stranger.

And yet, with this thick and looming silence, it was almost begging to be broken with words. Meryl's eyes darted all over the room just as she swallowed the last bite of meat, and she could feel words try to form on her tongue. If she could use some strength to spit them out, maybe then it wouldn't bother her so much. After a few seconds, she finished a comment in her mind and let it tumble off her tongue with a tone that could only be described as visibly irritated.

"It's because of you that Vash was wrongfully thrown into jail." Those words were voiced with so much irritation and lack of humor, and Eve actually froze up when pulling the cabinets to a close. Her eyes widening. "You don't understand him anyway, so it's not like you care."

It wasn't seconds before Eve's hands crunched to fists and she whirled around to gaze at a nearby Meryl. "I beg your pardon, but I have no idea what happened while I was resting up from a sickness yesterday!"

"Spiked Silver, he kidnapped me and lured Vash into a fight." Meryl explained, although she glowered through the hair falling over her forehead, Eve was appalled by her tone and look but still listened when she heard the first name. "This and that occurred, but the next I know the bastard is out of the scene and Vash is already being led away by the new sheriff and deputy. It's not like you care, I'm just trying to inform you."

"Humph, it's not my fault." Eve retorted, turning quickly and basically slapping a hand against the cabinet to shut it. An echoing noise followed, and then she continued to reach for utensils and plates. "You don't have to glare at me, and you shouldn't talk about that horrible man so early in the morning and make me want to lock myself in my room."

Meryl's glower had yet to fade, and she ignored Eve's interjection and continued, "Vash isn't the kind of person who deserves to be in jail, and he could escape easily if he wanted to but I know he won't. Just so you know: he did decide to help you, he did it willingly. Does it mean anything?"

Eve's fingers slipped around a cup currently being filled with water, they twitched and began crushing it as more anger welled up. She didn't want to lose her composure again, but it couldn't be helped this time.

"Maybe I am just being too hostile, or maybe not. I've been thinking it over, and I can only conclude that Vash wouldn't be in this situation if you hadn't-"

"I've heard enough, you bitch!" Eve suddenly yelled, dropping the glass to the sink with a loud **SMACK** to top it off. Meryl lost her glower for a moment, backing up slightly. "What about _me_? How can I give any sympathy for your idiotic friend who doesn't know when to shut up, how can I give any when no one really seems to care that _I _am the target of a horrible man who thinks me as piece of property to take advantage enough when actually _wanted_?"

Eve hated to lose her temper like that. And she usually did not, as most of the time she kept it under control just like every other emotion she should share normally. She actually seemed to believe that she was far more deserving of attention than anything else, tears pricked her eyes and she faced Meryl with an unattractive scowl taking up her face.

Meryl didn't try to press her luck and retort hotly so soon, she stood away from the other woman at a good enough distance and tried to make some sense of what she just babbled. Her own expression became a disapproving one and her head lowered and shook without a sound, she just couldn't agree with Eve. Not at all.

Finally, Meryl leaned against the counter, one hand settled on her hip and a typical glower that appeared when she was annoyed and or mad arose again. "It's _not_ all about you, Eve. You're not the main focus of everyone's thoughts, and that's probably due to the fact we hardly even know you and don't seem like someone to get to know because of your sour attitude and lack of care." An image of Calvin popped into her head, it seemed random at first but then she realized she had started drifting off to thinking over how a guy like him could hold an attraction for _her_. "You call me a bitch, but I think that title was meant for you. God, I don't know what Calvin is thinking with the way he throws himself at you..."

Understandably, Eve was pissed off big time. She couldn't remember the last time someone had spoken so...harshly and yet so calmly as if it were easy to her. She said nothing else, because anything that would have passed her tongue would more than likely be angrish more than anything.

Meryl wasn't quite finished. She slammed her palm on to the counter and then leaned forward. "If you ask me, you should either pull yourself together or acquire a heart! Now, I think I got those words out of my head and I feel so much better..." Eve was mute, her eyes widening with utter shock, and Meryl didn't really point it out, she just turned her back on her and then walked into the direction of the doors that led into the lobby. "I can't waste anymore time, I'm going to help Vash no matter what happens!"

Ever since Meryl first witnessed how Eve reacted to everyone and everything around her, even when she was told her her back story, there were so many words she wanted to tell her. They were negative, mean, and overall she may seem like a bitch if she voiced them. That was what prevented them from leaving her head, but now she felt good about getting it out into the open and letting Eve know she was not at all approving.

She hoped that finally saying all of this would trigger something. Anything. Perhaps her clouded mind to clear up and let her words cut through like a blade to let her know: this planet and everyone's lives didn't revolve around her and that it should be less "me". Unless the daughter of the hotel's owner was just that heartless for others and didn't think of anything but herself.

As soon as one of the doors was pushed and Meryl was halfway out, she paused upon hearing a particular question thrown her direction from Eve. When she craned her head and looked over, she was stunned to see Eve hanging her head and keeping her gaze on the floor.

"Why...why are you always talking about that Vash guy? What sort of connection do you have with him?"

She was actually uttering that sort of question even though she was practically attacked with reality? How odd, it wasn't the kind of words that Meryl anticipated. Yet, she mustered some control of her tone of voice which managed to remain honest and firm as she gave the reply.

"I'm in love with him, I would gladly do anything to help him in a tight situation...even if I wasn't exactly needed." Meryl didn't wait around to receive a reaction from that reply, she promptly exited the kitchen and took powerful strides through the lobby and was out of the hotel within seconds.

Eve was left there soaking in all of which she had been told. That last part especially made her brain go into overdrive trying to process that.

**.**

Boots furiously scraped the sandy terrain, it served to be only one of the major noises filling the otherwise silence of the city's central shopping and residence locations. And following it was a low, angry, repeating grunt.

Briskly, Meryl followed a previously-informed path that would lead her straight to the local jail. If you could call it a jail, rumors were among the thugs and low-lives that it had many faults and the deputy often zoned out from guarding while reading either historical books or dirty material. Even so, Vash would more or less sit around and give himself a break from the events of his travels and reflect or plan. She heaved her arms across her chest and her expression was nothing of cheer at the moment.

The reason for her current mood was more than likely caused by Eve, she knew that she couldn't stand her. She just knew it from a horrible first impression. And she was even more wary after the way she kept swapping moods in seconds. Like when a certain, supposedly badass man infiltrated the hotel demanding either this mentioned payment or her body. She was shaken, sobbing, completely out of control and then she soon snapped to annoyed and yet composed. Then there was this morning when it was slightly hostile, to all out anger too quickly.

Right now, she didn't want to have to even think about her. Still, it was proving hard. Especially after that question about Vash, which did catch her off guard momentarily and force her to choose more denial or finally getting her feelings off her chest to at least one soul. And with both options weighing in, she couldn't handle the pressure and at last unlocked the chains on what she really wanted to tell – although it would be ultimately satisfying if it were directed to the infamous outlaw rather than Eve – and which was a major plot point in this mixed up love story. But you would never know this from the way she remained unmoving and unshaken in her facial expression and tone of voice.

'_I suppose...I would be lying to myself if I said I was not affected by having Eve, someone I don't even like, knowing that._' Meryl briefly noted in her fumbled and confused thoughts. She looked up for a moment to see the jail only a few blocks away from her current point, she unfolded her arms and quickly jogged over. '_But what I said was completely honest, so maybe this could be a good sign given I could say it so securely. Yes! A good sign! Before I know it, I will be confident enough to let them be stated clearly for Vash himself. But...no getting carried away, Meryl...first we must prove him to be innocent._'

She arrived at her destination feeling a little more confident than she had before, and less on edge from that morning drama that was stirred. With luck hopefully leaning on her side today, she would succeed without any fail in between and would find the ideal moment to look Vash in the eye and proclaim...

Well...er...she suddenly couldn't grasp this boost of confidence when her fingers pried open the squealing old door and found herself inside the jail's front room where the deputy could be seen looking up at her from a large book he was reading at a desk.

**.**

In only a fast period of two entire minutes, Meryl was left without hardly a stable argument against the seemingly brutal deputy still barely taking his eyes and attention off the thick piece of literature flat on the desk.

So here is the gist of it, although not much could be said and it was already minced: Meryl held her head high as she entered the jail and gazed around the front door which contained dull colors and a desk and some shelves with weapons of defense and files. Wanted posters littered the walls, some with a large 'X' or the word 'deceased' across them. There was a noticeable door leading to the left which she guessed led one to where the criminals were held captive.

She put on a composed face, it was quite easy with how many times she had to appear unshakable during those really nerve-wracking moments back at the insurance office and when facing intimidating criminals. She approached the desk and leaned over, placing one palm over 'page 39' of the heavy book he was viewing. The deputy's eyes traveled upward to meet her face, and he asked her if she was here for a business reason or turning herself in. It wasn't inclined to be a humorous remark, he said it with a sharp tone and she was surprised she didn't flinch all over.

"Sir, I am here to bail out one of the prisoners. Before you look at me like I'm insane for this, know that there's plenty of good evidence backing up why."

"Who are you, anyway? You don't...look familiar."

"I'm not from Ember Walls and I'm just an insurance employee here for business matters. Now, please hear me out..."

"Mmm...you should know I'm not permitted to releasing criminals whenever some outsider wanders in and requests it."

"Please, you have to release Vash."

Medium-length, tense pause.

"...Vash The Stampede? The infamous outlaw who carelessly destroys everything we own and was finally tracked down yesterday?"

Brief roll of the eyes. "Yes, that one."

"Sorry, sweetie, he won't be getting out until we find out who gets the cash and if the action of execution is technically legal. Goodbye, don't let the door hit you on the way out."

"Listen to me, I think I know what he's like. I have to follow him everywhere and keep track of what damage he causes, and not only that...but we have had a few personal moments together so I think I should know what's best for him. And, sir, I believe you should let him out."

"It ain't happening. Leave or I'll have to lock you up for being _insane_."

"I am not insane! Besides, and it feels strange pointing this out but I'm doing it anyway, Vash didn't destroy anything this time! He was trying to _help _us all, make sure that another certain outlaw didn't-"

"Yeah, yeah, like I haven't heard this story before from other outsiders...whom turned out to be even shadier than the captive. You, sweetie, are holding up my precious time and so I think it's best if you leave."

"...So that's it...well...let me at least go talk to Vash, get him to spill what went on at the scene of the destruction."

"No, the folks around here aren't permitted to visit the captives no matter what the connection they have or what the situation is. I assume you know why?"

"Yes...I think I do. But I still cling to my argument, this is not over!"

"Ma'am, if you don't leave, I will personally hoist you over my shoulder and throw you out myself."

– The dialogue during that attempt to break out Vash. Small and yet pretty powerful considering that Meryl hardly had the opportunity to argue and she had no choice in the end but to turn away and exit the building, before she really humiliated herself.

Now, Meryl aimlessly walked in circles in front of the jail, no really caring that a few people passing were taking the time to look her way. She had a lot she wanted to say, but it didn't go beyond her mind. What was inside were many vulgar wordings for that deputy. It just didn't seem fair to her, even if she wasn't one of the city...did that really mean she couldn't hold a strong argument to their decision to capture Vash?

Her eyebrows connected, her teeth gritted, and each step kicked up more and more sand. It did not seem right, even though she wouldn't have strongly disagreed with that deputy had this been happening some time ago. When she didn't know what to think of Vash, only to get a wake up call and realize this could seriously be a case of desire. Right now, she would burst in and give that lawman a good roughing up the verbal way if she could...but that would be too unprofessional of her.

If she wanted to have respect, she needed to control her temper and not go off on verbal rants to the lawman who had damn badges attached to their shorts to show they weren't the type to mess with. Unfortunately for Meryl, she had a temper that wouldn't be easily settled once sparked. And although she tried and tried to not loose it...her efforts seemed to have no results.

Through her angry walking, Meryl didn't notice she was now rounding the building. To where she guessed that the cells were located. Where Vash's cell was located. Her arms, resting at her sides, raised urand her fingers tapped thoughtfully as a contemplating expression showed up. She didn't approve of this, but at least eavesdropping through the walls or searching for a window or crack to communicate and see through would work. She could see Vash, if only for a few seconds before caught by the lawman, and at least tell him she was safe and that she wanted to him to get out of there.

Meryl was so desperate...she did just that. Forcing the quietest steps, she rounded the side of the building she assumed the captives were in. As silently as she walked, she caught sight of a tiny window with bars covering it, but still a window nonetheless. Relief and hope welled inside and she cracked a smile and bounded for it.

Of course, the window had to be higher up than she could reach. But only by about six inches roughly. Her fingers barely reached a third of the middle bar even when she leaped off her toes again and again. She didn't need someone to inform her to know that she was looking incredibly stupid. But...

'_If it's to help Vash, I would gladly act like the planet's most ridiculous lunatic! Oh, please let this window lead into his cell...I wouldn't want to intrude on someone else-_'

After one minute of jumping and grunting, trying to reach for the window, the sound of chains clinking together could be heard. And then light footsteps. Meryl still jumped for the window...only to see the face of a woman on the tall side (or maybe it was just her seeing this from the view of a shorter person) gaze at her with a blank expression. From what Meryl could tell, she had to be in her early thirties and had frizzy and long auburn red hair, her facial features nice but also strong and intimidating. It was obvious she was not someone to piss off...

"Miss, is there any particular reason you're leaping outside my cell?" The woman asked, her voice a little nasally but also vicious. Meryl immediately stopped and stared with widening eyes. "I can't concentrate on tryin' to find my name in the paper. I'd think it would be in here after the last big robbery I pulled."

Feeling stupid, Meryl swayed a little and lowered her gaze. "Oh, um, I'm sorry. There's someone I wanted to speak with and I was sort of hoping that this cell could be his." Her cheeks pinked and she rubbed her upper arm nervously, the woman gazed at her curiously and rose a scarily thin brow.

"'He'? Mmm, in that case," The woman leaned closer against the window and smirked like someone who was about to have pleasure in screwing with someone's sanity. "Tell me who he is, I may be able to get some words back and forth. But only for a fee of one hundred and thirty seven double dollars or no deal."

Meryl's expression went from embarrassed to angry in seconds. Her glaring eyes heatedly set on the woman and she rose her voice. "I never asked for that! Besides, you're probably a con artist looking for a stupid pawn!"

The woman stepped back, raising her hands in surrender. She knew that she was called out and there was no reason to argue any farther.

"...I will humor you for a second, however." Meryl stated coolly, her eyes closed and she tried to calm herself. "Vash The Stampede happens to be in one of those cells. I, um, I know him kind of personally and there's some words I wanted to exchange."

"Yea, he happens to be in the cell next to mine. Lucky me." The nasally-voiced, assumed con artist said the last part sarcastically and then slumped against the window. She wondered where this was going. "Of course, I wouldn't advise trying to do what you did to my cell's little window, darlin'. The man thought he would try to escape and gave him a cozy little cell without a window at all."

"Could you please get his attention? And recite this message?"

"Darlin', my work isn't done for the benefit of making another soul's day. I live for the cash and cash alone, it's the only way to stay afloat in this world."

"See, it's people like you I just can't stand! Ugh, forget I was ever here!"

"...Get used to it! Oh, by the way Darlin', you shouldn't run away so fast or you may trip on that tacky little poncho!"

**.**

Having returned to the hotel six minutes ago, Meryl just slumped at the small table in the kitchen and sipped some steaming coffee. She hardly even let her head rise from the surface, and did so only to take sips before letting it fall.

But anyone else would probably be like this should they have to be subjected to this situation. Meryl knew she couldn't lose hope, but it was increasingly difficult to find a silver lining to all of this. She knew that Vash didn't have to be locked up by the man – and he could escape willingly at any time. If he would not, then she would bust him out and do so as a way of showing him that she cared deeply about him.

Even if she couldn't get her mouth to cooperate, she could still show him through actions how strongly she felt. She guessed that there have been times in the past she took it a little far, however. One time being when they were in that no name town and she let him...'buy' her a drink – or two or twenty. She had been told of how she totally lost her mind and said all kinds of bold things and put the moves on him. Although she knew that she pulled him into a makeout session, she did wonder what she said.

If he already knew how she felt, this would make things easier. But still...she would prove it to him. And no unwilling deputy or nasally-voiced con artist would stop her, right? Right?

Now, she just raised her head for the umpteenth time and downed the rest of her coffee. Something about the steaming, dark and bitter liquid was soothing. Either it reflected her mood or it was an outlet for her hopelessness. Either way, it was especially good and she couldn't deny it as it went down her throat and her eyes fluttered closed.

But the mocking serenity came to a crashing halt when the doors to the kitchen opened up and a familiar (completely irritating) face entered with her hands currently untying the apron around her dress.

Meryl's gaze stayed on Eve as the less than likeable woman rounded her table with her eyes locked on the floor. She could feel stress build on her shoulders and her eyes narrowed, giving away her dislike of having her show her face.

Right now, Meryl didn't want to have to speak to or see her. Eve obviously didn't understand emotions and she assumed that some strangers should put their minds on her and drop any other goal that they had. But that so wasn't going to happen any time soon, because it was the most unrealistic and stupid crap she had ever heard in her life. Suddenly, she wished that she had more coffee.

Eve didn't say anything, she wouldn't even show her face. Even when Meryl cleared her throat as if trying to get her to look in her direction, she would not. It was almost as if she was lost in an otherworldly trance and didn't know what was happening.

But that was just fine with Meryl. She sat up normally in the chair and rested her hand underneath her chin. In her mind, she knew that she wasn't going to acknowledge her, two could play that game. Especially more so because of the words that have been voiced previously. She knew that she did not have to speak with her.

Several seconds ticked by, it felt like an eternity with the thick silence hanging in the atmosphere. Eve still wouldn't move from where she stood near the table, she still kept her face hidden – to conceal a..._guilty _expression? Her fingers fidgeted with the white apron in her hands and she wasn't quite sure how to say what she felt she should.

Meryl kept her face hidden too – to conceal the aggravated look that she should have given Eve knowing that she deserved it. But she wouldn't give her the satisfaction and cool herself after the heated conversation previously.

The silence was eating away at Eve. Her fingers furiously tapped and she felt perspiration build on her brow. God knows she didn't want to have say what she was going to, but there didn't seem to be any other option that involved getting her way.

"Meryl, I don't regret anything that I told you earlier." Eve started, she sounded stuck up and cold as she tended to be. Meryl still didn't give her any satisfaction, she still glanced away and removed her fingers from her cup. "Judging by the fact you're back so soon, that escape plan must have blown up in smoke."

The irritation was reaching it's maximum point fast. Meryl struggled to not say anything and spark another pointless and time-consuming argument. But it was difficult, she greatly disliked this woman and she heard really annoying gibberish now whenever she talked. For some reason, however, fate was loving any opportunity to place them in the same room at the worst possible time.

"You should have known that it wouldn't work. This city does not and never will have a good justice system, none of the majorly dangerous criminals get caught." Eve rambled, she probably believed that she was correct and always had been before Meryl decided to break out Vash. In the end, she was just becoming even more aggravating. "As a matter of fact, all kinds of criminals pass through here either to make a reputation or hide away from the man. Why do you think so many of us live in fear and take shelter in ours homes and shops often?"

"You have no right to lecture me, Eve." Meryl finally responded, her tone was low and hostile. There was no questioning she was pissed off by everything Eve said. "Why do even bother to speak to me? It's obvious we can't get along. And never will."

"If there's one thing you're good at, it's stating the truth." Eve retorted, once again her eyebrows connected and her fingers clawed into her own arm angrily. "However, I'm not looking for a verbal fight this time. I...I was thinking over some of the things you said before you left." Her angry tone suddenly dropped, and the cold woman actually sounded...timid as she went on. "Specifically...the part about you wanting to bust him out because he's the person you love. I wanted to know...how?"

Her interest rising, Meryl whirled around to face Eve and she gazed up at her with a bemused expression. "How what?"

Eve nervously shuffled her feet and kept her eyes every but Meryl's. "How is it possible to love someone like him? Offense intended, naturally, he doesn't seem to be the ideal boyfriend. The guy is a mood-switch whiplash and not to mention unpredictable. You two clash so much."

As much as Meryl didn't want to react like a pathetic little teenager, she couldn't help reeling away and the scorching feet in her cheeks. She could barely believe that Eve, probably the most emotional-withdrawn woman she had ever seen in her life, just prompted her with that question. And, and where was she going with the intended offense? Oh wait, that made sense.

The fifty seconds that passed felt like many hours. Meryl had yet to answer and Eve had yet to get a grip on herself. But finally, some of the awkwardness faded and the tense mood that accompanied the two of them ensued.

There was no way out of this, Meryl could only comply and honestly respond, "It didn't seem possible at first. In fact, he annoyed the hell out of me when we met. The more time we spent together I realized he wasn't a bad person, not at all, he really wasn't as crazy and unrealistically lucky as he lead on. Remember when I told you 'don't even try to understand him'?" Eve finally met her eyes and swallowed dryly, nodding. To be honest, that moment had frightened her. Meryl remained calm as she continued, "That's because he has such a complex background that only a select few could relate to. Your situation is tough, but his...yours seems pathetic in comparison. I found out more about him, and in the process I found myself falling dramatically too far."

A small period of silence filled the room. But it wasn't awkward or tense, it was just kind of depressing because Meryl's mind was reeling, and Eve was trying to not feel timid or stupid or even being curious.

At long last, even if it seemed like there was no reason to, Meryl's lips curved to a smile. And her tone was rather pleasant as she finished her explanation out, "I don't know if we could have a future, I don't know how it would work out, and in the end that's what makes this love story interesting. For some reason, he makes me as happy as he does annoyed and I'm not exaggerating when I say I love Vash."

Eve appeared visibly stunned at hearing such an explanation. And even if she didn't voice it, she found Meryl's smile so true and happy when she said those finishing words...it didn't make any sense. How could she be so pissed off sometimes and always look annoyed, only to have Vash enter the topic and let a smile fill practically her whole face?

Eve was also afraid to admit it out loud...but she wished that she could be able to smile like that. But there was no one special out there for her – she assumed most of the time – she wasn't meant to be happy. Though she wore a cold face like it was perpetual, she sometimes wanted to be happy.

**.**

Eve didn't look it, but she was rather fast. Too fast. She maintained a rather impressive running pace, flying down the clear path in between all of the buildings. And she didn't even bother to look at anyone whom gawked with confusion.

Slightly behind her, trying to match her pace, was Meryl being dragged along by her wrist. Meryl could feel her throat tightening from just trying to to breathe and her heart hammering in her chest, but Eve hardly seemed to break a sweat.

They were certainly gaining many stares from the people passing by feeling it was safe to leave the buildings. With a sense of motivation surging, Eve just dragged Meryl along and hardly gave her the opportunity to catch up. She didn't know why she was so fast, maybe that was the only neat trick she had up her sleeve – as far as Eve knew about herself, she sucked at everything else.

"Ugh! Tell me again why we're running like we're being chased!" Meryl managed to gasp out, her feet stumbled and plowed into the dirt beneath, she briefly winced as Eve tightened her grip on her throbbing wrist. "Eve! You didn't give me any time to register the plan the first time!"

"What do you think we're doing? We're going to save that idiot!" Eve shouted back, this time she surprisingly was not angry. The raise in her voice was because of...motivation? For an instant moment, she turned her head and let Meryl try to read through her cold face. "I told you, if you seriously love him...nothing should get in your way! I don't regret being worried about myself only, because I still matter, but just ONE TIME I can put aside my self-worth and aid you in busting Vash out!"

They rounded a corner near some houses and a few stands for buying foods. That was when Meryl finally yanked her wrist out from Eve's grasp and they both screeched to a stop. She noticed that they were already a distance from the hotel and the prison was in their sight.

To Eve's irritation, Meryl shot her a doubtful glance and paced in an unsure manner in circles. "But you don't even have a plan. How do we break him out when we can't just ask the deputy to let us speak with Vash?"

"...He wouldn't let you speak with Vash?" Eve glared suddenly and stopped a foot, looking more like a child throwing a tantrum than a grown woman. Then again, Meryl thought, everything she does is childish in some way. "This city makes no sense to me! It never did, it never will! You better thank me for when we break him out and he's no longer wrapped up in the crappy law system..."

"That will come later. Right now, we need some sort of plan to-"

"What makes you think I don't have a plan up my sleeve?" Eve pointed out, less than appreciative of the way she implied her to be rushing into things. Meryl just shut up for one time as she colder woman clicked her tongue and then wagged a finger. "Don't count me out just yet. You also shouldn't count out your talkative partner and her crazy-enough-to-work plans."

Partner? Crazy-enough-to-work plans? It all clicked, and Meryl could only stare and inquire to be sure, "Are you suggesting...Milly came up with a plan and _you're _going to listen to her even though she's close to _me_?"

"Well," Eve folded her arms across her chest angrily for a second and then turned away. She did this because she didn't want Meryl to see the brief smirk of amusement rising on her lips. "Even though she may seem spacy, I have to admit she had a rather good plan in mind. She knew ahead of time that she wanted to spend time with that Nicholas guy, and so she entrusted you and I with this plan." She turned back around, her expression once again nonexistent due to being stoic. "So don't argue and play along accordingly. In no time, we will break out your man."

"But what exactly is your plan, Eve?"

Eve willingly went into detail about the plan. She surprisingly didn't hold any sense of achievement, this was a good sign that she realized for once in her life that someone else beat her at something. Anyway, she described Milly speaking with her alone inside of Sage's hospital room some time after Meryl, Calvin, and Wolfwood left. Milly explained that she had conjured this plan in advance, and was aware she couldn't carry it out alone. So she just had to have faith that a person she hardly knew personally could straighten out all of the chaos with her coworker. Even if they got along as well as oil and water.

Milly did not add in any details, but she explained that she and Sage knew about each other from the past. When they encountered back at the shop, they happened to have the same idea in mind – play it safe and don't lead on that they recognized each others' faces. Sage confirmed this to be true, although he didn't explain it at all either and left them even farther in the dark.

Regardless of how they knew each other – which Meryl assumed she would find out later if she politely inquired – Eve continued to explain the plan. The suicidal shopkeeper apparently chose to set up his shop in that very building, it had been run down when he first acquired the okay to use it for business. He chose it due to the fact several years ago, during the battle that made the city become so nondescript and full of hardship, because it had been used before as a refuge for prisoners in the jail and secret passage ways and tunnels had been dug to bust out. For the system back then had been so traumatizing that people locked in were either driven to killing themselves or dig through the cold tunnels for escape. Today, the tunnels supposedly remain in good condition.

Sage had chosen the building with tunnels linked to it for two reasons: in case Spiked Silver was passing through and somehow got captured, he could bail him out. And the other reason was for him to be able to gain more service by traveling into the cells of prisoners and offering them a gun to escape, for the right price. Now, he was willing to allow them to use the tunnels to break out Vash. But only because it was _Meryl _he would be helping.

By the end of this lengthy explanation, Meryl was rendered unable to think of anything better. She couldn't disagree with this plan that Milly had, as it was just crazy enough to actually help. And if it's to break out Vash...she would do anything.

**.**

The old, creaky door opened and slightly scraped the previously-cleaned floor of the small gun shop. Meryl didn't know why, but she had that same chill descend her spine as it did yesterday when she entered. She felt like a pair of eyes was just watching her waiting to strike, although she soon after scolded herself. After all, the shop was entirely empty save for her and Eve. Maybe the fact that Sage had a creepy way with people caused the atmosphere to feel this way.

Nothing had really changed about the front of the shop. The guns lined the shelves, a few decorative pictures hung on the walls, and the lights were very dim. Eve must have felt the chill in the air too, for she instinctively shifted closer to Meryl and was

hugging herself. When you live on a desert planet, the least thing you will expect is to feel cold temperatures, so the whole thing was disturbing.

Eve's wandering eyes took in all of the front of the shop. She could barely believe all of the many guns lied on shelves and the tools and parts scattered across the counter, she herself was too much of a coward to ever be able to wield one of these...she felt prompted to ask Meryl what holding one felt like.

Still caught off guard by the even worse atmosphere, Meryl felt as if she jumped out of her skin whn a finger lightly tapped at her shoulder. She gasped lowly and whirled around to see a curious Eve watching her; with childlike wide eyes and a a thoughtful position.

"I've always wondered what being armed with a gun is like. I noticed you're armed, I wanted to know if it gives you a sense of security or if you wield them for the purpose of standing up for yourself." This seemed off topic, Meryl stared as she was taken aback. But Eve blinked many times and cradled her hands to stop herself from going over and touching the lined guns. "Could you, um, explain the sensation?"

"Sensation?" Meryl repeated whilst recovering. She was mildly flustered by the sudden change in the mood, but she soon got over it and shrugged her shoulders casually. "Eh, what's there to describe? I'm not exactly the most bloodthirsty shooter on this planet, I'd rather not start trouble. But I arm myself to have a sense of power just in case of trouble, and you never know when you may be in a life or death situation and can't back down.

"Oh, I think I understand." Eve's eyes lowered to the floor, and she folded her arms across her chest in a pouting way. "When I was a little girl, before the almost-rape, I...wanted to become a traveler. A drifter. A bystander in the middle of the most epic drama and life or death moments, the moments that get your blood pumping and your hands shaking."

"...Really, Eve?"

"Oh yes, it's true. My heart wanted to roam every inch of this wasteland...I wanted excitement and I wanted to be able to wield a gun and be in the passenger seat when life was giving me a high speed chase."

"How could Spiked Silver attempting to...thwart such desires...?"

"...I'd rather not give full detail. All you need to know is this: that night was the same night I decided to not care about anything, never stick my nose where it didn't belong, just listen to my dad's wishes and become a 'respectable' woman who listened to men, was clad in dresses and aprons, and the main talents being cooking and cleaning." Eve paused momentarily, before chuckling dryly. Darkly. "Dad's quite the sexist, you might say. To this moment, I'm irritated he never let me learn how to shoot a gun like a master. Even though he had scarily-good skills himself."

Meryl began walking in the direction of the storage room, in search of that wood panel she found the last time. Eve followed after trying to dismiss the chill going down her spine. But this conversation was probably the least tension-filled one they've had in the short time they've been...acquainted. It felt so...

Well...disturbing. In a bad way.

"Eve..." At the mention of her name in a tone that wasn't full of irritation as it usually was, Eve raised her head and gazed at Meryl again. The smaller woman twisted the knob of the door, but remained still in the opened arch. "Don't think chaos and adventure is worth it. To be honest, ever since Vash happened, that's what my life has been full of and...I wouldn't endure this if it weren't for him. The money isn't very good, putting up with orders and reports gets tiring, and I can't stand all of the running and gunfire...but he..."

"You seem rather dazed." Eve interrupted, her eyebrows connected and her expression showed her perplexed state. But she couldn't deny being at least somewhat amused by her words. And it was like questions floated through her head, awaiting to be voiced. "Never will I understand your crazy heart's desires. Putting up with something you dislike just to be close to someone you love...that's so...bizarre."

Thankfully the conversation was dropped. Neither of the girls said a word as they entered the room and tried to navigate their way around. According to Sage, Eve recalled being told, the secret tunnels were connected via that random board of wood hanging on the wall. She explained this to Meryl, to which the insurance employee silently felt proud of realizing it must have had some use.

If only she had known this for sure yesterday...it would have saved her from a crushed hand and rope burns.

"Is that the panel he was referring to?" Eve asked, following Meryl whom seemed to be approaching the panel as if lured in a trance. One of her thick brows raised, and Eve lowered herself to its level. "Looks rather strategically-placed. How are we supposed to remove the thing?"

"Well, I once attempted to shoot it down. But for some reason, the bullets didn't even burn through let alone have any other effect." Replied Meryl, lowering herself to her knees and letting her hands roam all over the wooden board. Whatever kind of wood this was, it was sturdy alright.

"Perhaps there is another way to remove it. Hmm..." Mockingly, Eve assumed a thoughtful pose. She drew out the 'hmm' as she placed her moving thumb against her chin. After a few moments, she lightly smacked the top of her head. "Oh, duh! Let's just grasp an edge and yank it off like you're SUPPOSED to do!"

Meryl wasn't amused in the slightest. Those antics of hers mocked her, and to prove that obvious action to be impossible, she did reach for the edges and attempt to yank it off...but the board panel never budged.

Proved wrong, Eve just pouted and averted her eyes. That would be the last time she ever attempted to use sarcasm and get her point across at the same time.

"You said it yourself: it's strategically-placed. However, it must not have been used in such a long time...the tunnels are either caved in with matter against the panel, or it has been sealed off." Meryl felt a headache coming on. She removed one hand from the panel and used it to massage her temples. "We have to take drastic measures, if we're going to bust through..."

Eve kind of didn't like where this was going. It sounded as if she was implying_ manual labor_ should be involved...ugh...

**.**

Time seemed to slow down dramatically every time he decided to kick back in jail. Vash curled up on the bed, vacantly counting all of the little cracks in the walls and then on the cell door. But in his head, he was just experiencing a lot of flashbacks to make the seconds fast forward to hours. Until he decided the heat died down enough for him to easily leave.

Yeah, he was wasting time by lounging in here. It wasn't as if he didn't know, what else could Vash do? Technically, he caused the destruction, although it was all done out of self defense. Though self defense apparently didn't have any meaning if you're a sought-after criminal.

And...what if Meryl hadn't made it out alive? Yeah, she was just bait for the trap. But knowing Spiked Silver, he could have easily decided to ignore his previously-stated reasons and harm her fatally simply 'because'. 'Because'. Well, 'because' was never a great reason; yet a lot of the more hollow people around here used it was their excuse for evil actions. And he had the vibe this guy's favorite excuse was 'because'.

If she had been murdered just 'because'...he didn't know how he would be able to get over that. It would be utterly difficult. Though it's not like Vash ever considered they would have all of the time in the world together...

For a moment, his fingers dug deeply into the thin sheet that covered the mattress. His whole body tensed and fear filled his mind. Surely, she was still alive...he could only hope unless proved otherwise.

All of a sudden, his fear and thoughts crashed to a halt when he picked up loud smacking noises. Vash nearly cringed at how random they were, and he gazed all over the cell in an effort to see where the hell that was coming from.

"Hit it! Like this!" A voice, strangely sounding a lot like Meryl, proclaimed before another loud smack thundered. Vash's breath caught and gathered in his throat, was she nearby safe and sound? "Eve, you have to summon _all _of your body's strength to get through that! One more time!"

Vash's gaze finally settled on that seemingly-out-of-place wooden board that had been on the floor of his cell. He hadn't any idea what that was for, and when he first saw it...he assumed it must have been used for something. Now if he pinpointed the location of where the noise was blustering...that wooden board sealed on the floor.

More smacks echoed, but that board never budged. Grunts and groans soon followed, and then responded to with a heavy and tired sigh.

This was too good to be true...could Meryl still be alive and somehow underneath that cell waiting to see him? If this was the honest case, he felt that he had to do something. Anything to be able to see her face to face and reveal how worried he was...so just maybe...

"Damn it! This one won't give in either!"

"Oh, it's going to! Eve, you are so weak!"

"Hah, look who's talking...you do realize, after that pipe incident, you're in no position to talk, huh?"

It also sounded like Eve was there too. But, eh, Vash was hardly concerned about that. Sure, it was good that she was healthy enough to travel by an apparent underground way, but right now, Meryl was all that mattered! Instantly, Vash rose to his feet and crossed the room to where the board was located. Admittedly, it was strange it even existed unless it was meant to conceal something elaborate.

Once arriving at the board, he lowered himself to the floor and lowered his head onto it, trying to strain his ears to overhear more the the familiar voices. "What's going on down there? Meryl...is that you?"

Immediately, Meryl replied. And it was the first time that Vash realized how terrible he'd feel if he would no longer hear her. "Yes! Yes, it's me and...Eve is here too. Anyway, I have to talk to you!" Supposedly, she must have banged something against the board. It wouldn't budge. "Ugh, Vash there's a secret tunnel that runs from this particular cell to the gun shop, and those wooden boards are meant to seal them up. Listen closely, we need your help to remove it. If you can't, well, there's got to be-"

His eyes lowered to the board, which didn't look so hard to move to him. Immediately, Vash cut her off in a rush, "Try and back away a distance, Meryl."

Promptly, Meryl could be overheard grunting and shifting around, Eve was cursing and crying out presumably being smacked in the process. He continued to listen for them, not really sure if the two were out of harm's way. Although he knew he couldn't wait forever. He was in a rush to see Meryl, he just had to after all of the worry over her condition.

Maybe it was senseless for him to worry so much, or maybe it wasn't. It's not like he had any idea considering these feelings weren't something he was familiar with handling. His desire to make sure she was safe and sound and perhaps scoop her up in his arms was all that he believed she be done.

Vash pushed himself to his feet and then surveyed the board closely. For a moment, he was totally silent in concentration, looking over what he was dealing with. For a few seconds, he even rounded it and the only sound was his boots against the floor. When he felt the time was right, he lifted one foot and then hastily slammed it against the board in a fast motion.

**RUMBLE!**

**CRASH!**

From underneath the cell, in the tunnel, Meryl and Eve covered their mouths and eyes whilst coughing. The board had caved in so unstably, falling in and crashing. Only becoming very small splinters as they scattered on the floor. When the dust cleared, and the wood splinters were finished raining, the two gazed up to see that light was flooding in from a cell.

They hadn't any idea what he had done to make such a stubborn sealed board shatter as if completely weak. When they attempted to bust through, all they did to their shovels was dent them. Then again, Vash had his ways.

"Hey, he destroyed the board..." Eve weakly commented, very much in shock. She would never understand how the hell he could do that when they were supposedly sealed tightly and their shovels they borrowed couldn't make a scratch. "How could he destroy it that easily?"

Meryl ran her fingers through her hair, trying to pull out all of the scattered pieces of wood that landed there. Her eyes shifted to meet Eve's stunned expression. "Either he's strong or we're pathetic. You believe which one you want, Eve."

"Something tells me those theories are both true."

"Even more so if you realize what he is."

Eve shot her a suspicious glance. Although she had once been told she shouldn't even _attempt_ to understand Vash, now she was more baffled than ever by the comment of realizing what he really was. Just what the hell did her reluctant companion mean by _that_?

**To Be Continued**

**.**

**Before you become baffled by the sudden cut off, allow me to make an attempt to explain that. ^^' It's been so long since I got back to this story, I wrote only a small amount of this chapter after finishing the previous and was suddenly struck with severe writer's block and couldn't continue. Thankfully, I've recovered and succeeded to finish!**

**However, because of that major writer's block attack, the chapter dragged on quite a lot as you can no doubt tell. Or, is it just me whom notices that? Well, whatever the case, I purposely cut it off there and have decided to finish it out in the next chapter. Which is also being altered heavily than what I originally intended (so if it's different than what mentioned in it's previous short summary of what's to come, that would be why). Still, um, I hope you found the chapter at least somewhat enjoyable! *Nervous smile***

**The story isn't over yet, it only truly began recently and we've still much plot left to cover. Not to mention, couples to hook up. *Cough* Vash and Meryl *Cough***

_**Next Chapter (recently altered heavily, mind you): Vash and Meryl reunite after the jail break, it feels so nice to see each other again and the former only begins to realize how important the latter is to him. They go somewhere alone, there's words to be said, but why won't the words leave their tongues? Meanwhile, Eve encounters Calvin and demands him to spill information. And elsewhere, Milly knows her plan won't be able to work now and she must construct another.**_

_**Following Chapter: Booze, booze everywhere, there's a local bar in Ember Walls that gets rather rowdy at night. Both Vash and Meryl encounter Milly alone in different times and are asked to meet her there to 'discuss things', they show up, but Milly does not. You know where this is going. Meanwhile, Eve is in danger when a certain someone visits her at night, playing out almost exactly like the last time he visited many years ago. But who could possibly care enough to save her? Elsewhere, Wolfwood visits Sage to ensure he hasn't been contemplating suicide again, things go horribly wrong.**_

**Read and Review!**


End file.
